Crude and Unusual Punishment

Crude and Unusual Punishment

Author: CLNS Media Network September 1, 2026 Duration: 52:15
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open on the Iran war flaring back up after a month of quiet, with new strikes exchanged, a missile wiping out a base in Jordan, and Trump posting AI-generated videos of Kharg Island being obliterated while the real military runs out of interceptors. Meanwhile, leaked Pentagon documents reveal six four-star generals filed formal dissent against extending the campaign, and Defense Secretary Hegseth's response to the worst military crisis in a generation is to start visiting Iowa and South Carolina for a 2028 presidential run. They trace the Venezuela oil grab for what it is: the U.S. overthrew a government, installed a puppet, and that puppet just signed over 100 years of oil rights to an unnamed private company while 80% of Venezuelan households live in poverty. From there they connect the collapsing food supply, where blueberries are killing people and Trump is deregulating meat processing live on Glenn Beck's radio show, to the Project 2025 blueprint that laid all of this out in black and white. They close on Jim Clyburn going on Meet the Press to announce that impeachment is not a Democratic priority, which tells you everything about why Hakeem Jeffries was meeting with Jared Kushner last week: the captured resistance has no plans and no platform two months before the midterms. Support the show by signing up to our Patreon to hear the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast

Hosted by political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman, The Muckrake Political Podcast operates on a simple premise: the daily headlines are just the surface layer. Produced by the CLNS Media Network, this podcast actively resists the repetitive spin cycle that defines so much political coverage. Instead, each episode is an exercise in excavation, where Sexton and Hauselman pick apart a current event to uncover its roots and ramifications. They consistently reach for historical parallels and viewpoints often sidelined by mainstream discourse, arguing that understanding the past is crucial for navigating the present. The goal isn't just to inform, but to impose a framework for thinking critically about power, rhetoric, and policy as they unfold in real time. For listeners fatigued by shallow takes, this show offers a substantive alternative, replacing noise with nuance. The conversation you'll hear is analytical yet accessible, designed for anyone who feels the news moves too fast to comprehend. It’s a deliberate attempt to find signal in the noise, providing context that makes chaotic political developments feel more intelligible. Tune in for a discussion that treats politics as the complex, consequential force it is, beyond the day's predictable talking points.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Muckrake Political Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Silicon Valley of the Shadow of Death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:08
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open on Dario Amodei's call to slow down AI development and why we should be worried when both Sam Altman and Elon Musk agree with him. Donald Trump responded that the whole…
Giuliani: We Did Asbestos We Could [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:41
This is a preview of The Weekender. Sign up for our Patreon and get access to the full episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Co-hosts Ja…
Know Your Reichs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open on Germany, where Alternative für Deutschland just took over 43 percent in Saxony-Anhalt and the famous firewall is starting to look less like a wall and more like a fo…
Bail to the Chief [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:31
This is a preview of The Weekender. Sign up for our Patreon and get access to the full episode, frequent live shows, and the Muckrake Discord community at http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton a…
Weekender PREVIEW: It All Falls Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:48
Nick Hauselman is out, so Jared Yates Sexton mans the fort on this preview of The Weekender. To start, Jared reluctantly discusses the Democratic Party's choreographed focused on streamer Hasan Piker in order to examine…
When Kush Comes to Shove [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:50
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman unpack the real reason Hakeem Jeffries sat down with Jared Kushner, and it has nothing to do with subpoenas or tough talk. The meeting is a preview of the bipartisan coaliti…
Democratic Congressional Nominee Fred Wellman Of Missouri Speaks Out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:56
The full Weekender is normally only available to our Patreon subscribers, but we're unlocking this one for everyone. If you like what you hear, sign up at http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast for the full Friday episode ev…
Bomb Voyage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:43
Jared Yates Sexton is out of pocket this week, so co-host Nick Hauselman is joined by University of La Verne political science professor Jason Neidleman to break down the latest in the Iran quagmire as the 60-day MOU exp…
Snakes Off A Plane [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:50
Support the show by signing up to our Patreon to hear the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Co-hosts Jared Yates Sext…
The Worst Country You Know Just Made A Great Point [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:33
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open on the Iran war officially entering quagmire territory, with refineries and tankers getting hit at will while the US has essentially run out of missiles to respond with…