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
Weekender PREVIEW: A Conversation with Danielle Moodie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:29
On this episode of The Weekender, I welcomed my good friend Danielle Moodie of The Danielle Moodie Show and Democracy-Ish to co-host and discuss the full-Nazi turn by Elon Musk's Grok AI and how the fascist oligarchs are…
Disasters, Natural and Man-Made [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:41
In this episode of The Muckrake Podcast, Jared Yates Sexton discusses the horrific tragedy in Texas with floods killing over 100 people, the rise of climate fascism, and how demand for climate and economic justice have t…
Weekender PREVIEW: They're Going For It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:44
In this preview of The Weekender, Jared Yates Sexton begins by talking about the passage of the GOP domestic agenda through Congress in what represents possibly the penultimate blow to liberal democracy, the social-safet…
Anything is Possible Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:03
Nick Hauselman is still out of the country, so Jared Yates Sexton brings on friend of the pod Karl Folk for an in-depth discussion of the changing political environment, including the Mamdani win, the rising solidarity m…
Weekend PREVIEW: Zohran! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:28
In this preview of The Weekender, Jared Yates Sexton gets into the miraculous victory by Zohran Mamdani in New York City and the fallout among the rank-and-file Democrats. For subscribers, this turns to an analysis of wh…
Can We Just Bomb Your Nuclear Sites, Pretty Please? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:01
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down the latest U.S. attack on Iran, where Trump ordered a dozen massive bombs dropped on nuclear sites, then claimed it wasn’t war - just “MIGA.” The Pentagon admits…
This Episode of the Iran War Is Brought to You by Fox News [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:38
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. Trump’s threats toward Iran have escalated from in…
March of the People, Parade for the Feeble [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:01
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down one of the largest protest days in American history and why the media refuses to treat it like the political earthquake it is. They dive into the horrifying assas…
No Kings, No Peace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:45
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 dig i…
Marines And The March Towards Martial Law [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:52
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down how the authoritarian crackdown erupted in Los Angeles, with Trump now openly escalating his illegal takeover of the National Guard — while sending in the Marines…