Soft Targets, Hard Narratives

Soft Targets, Hard Narratives

Author: CLNS Media Network September 12, 2025 Duration: 12:24
This is a free preview of our Weekender. Get the full episode, every Weekender, special live shows, and our community Discord by supporting us here: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman pick up after their emergency pod on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, sorting what’s real from what’s useful to the people in power. Jared digs into accelerationist chatter, the leaky “shells with slogans” narrative, and how a soft target + a gutted FBI creates perfect conditions for chaos. Nick pushes back on the “pro hit” talk (and why a neck shot doesn’t scream sniper), while they break down Trump’s response—an uncanny video wrapped around a ready-made storyline that instantly deputizes repression against political enemies. They also call out the liberal media’s rush to launder Kirk’s record, talk Groypers vs. Kirk, and why “thoughts and prayers” gave way to weaponized certainty in minutes. If it feels like reality is being edited in real time… that’s the point.

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: 100

The Muckrake Political Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Quick Reaction Force for Fascism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:13
This is a preview of The Weekender edition of the Muckrake Podcast. Please go to ⁠patreon.com/muckrakepodcast⁠ to gain access to the regular Weekender episodes on Fridays. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman d…
GOP: Let’s Solve These Problems By Making Them Worse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:35
Together at last! Co-hosts Nick Hauselman and Jared Yates Sexton break down Donald Trump’s stunning move to seize control of Washington, D.C.’s police force despite the city’s crime rate hitting a three-decade low. The g…
Is This The Epstein Coup? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:18
To support the show and gain full access to the Weekender episode on Fridays, head over to ⁠⁠patreon.com/muckrakepodcast⁠⁠ and become a patron. It keeps us ad-free, editorially independent, and helps us grow. The right-w…
Trump Rejects Reality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:49
On this episode of the Muckrake Podcast, co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman dig into the disturbing trend of punishing truth-tellers in government, the newly revealed memo outlining plans to deploy more milit…
It's The Epstein, Stupid. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:28
This is a preview of The Weekender edition of the Muckrake Podcast. Please go to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to gain access to the regular Weekender episodes on Fridays. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman…
Let's Make Appeal: To The Max(well) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:58
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down the stunning news that Ghislaine Maxwell secretly met with the DOJ, potentially signaling cooperation that could implicate more powerful figures. Meanwhile, Donal…
From McCarthyism To Epsteinism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:53
Together at last! Co-hosts Nick Hauselman and Jared Yates Sexton are reunited (and it feels so good). In this episode, they dig into the Wall Street Journal’s latest bombshell reporting on Jeffrey Epstein, the flurry of…
From Epstein to ICE: How Power Protects Itself [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:04
Together at last! Co-hosts Nick Hauselman and Jared Yates Sexton are reunited (and it feels so good). In this episode of the Muckrake Podcast, Nick and Jared break down newly surfaced evidence related to Jeffrey Epstein,…
What They Did to the Epstein Files, They’re Doing to Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:43
This is a preview of The Weekender edition of the Muckrake Podcast. Please go to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to gain access to the regular Weekender episodes on Fridays. Jared Yates Sexton is unavailable, so on this ep…
The Truth Behind The Epstein Files, With Aaron Rupar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:46
Nick Hauselman hosts while Jared Yates Sexton is unavailable, and he interviews Aaron Rupar, an independent journalist and publisher of The Public Notice Newsletter. As the tweeter of record of all things political on br…