THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

Every weekday, The New Republic’s Greg Sargent brings you a fresh way of thinking about the biggest political stories of the moment, offered up in an entertaining, information-packed conversation with a leading lawmaker, journalist, or newsmaker. We go deep into the stories behind the headlines leading TNR and other news outlets—while making it fun and fast.

 

Politics
26
Trump Angered by Fresh Slide in Polls as Even F...
As Trump rambles bizarrely about “fake” surveys amid some really bad polling news, a political scientist explains how his flouting of the Constitution is directly linked to his cratering public support.
20 min
27
Trump’s Rage at SCOTUS Explodes—then Backfires ...
As Trump’s fury at the Supreme Court over his loss on tariffs starts working against him, a legal expert walks us through the ways he’ll try to revive them—and explains how the whole saga undermines the myth of Trump.
19 min
28
Trump Ramblings on Epstein Take Revealing Turn ...
As Trump insists he’s “totally exonerated” in the Epstein scandal amid mounting MAGA rage over it, a historian of the right explains how all this is exposing deep rifts inside MAGA—and what will happen next.
23 min
29
Trump Erupts in Angry Panic over 2026 as Polls ...
As new polls look dire for the GOP, a data analyst dives deep into the numbers, explaining how Trump’s twin failures on the economy and immigration are creating unusual opportunities for Dems.
16 min
30
Minneapolis Mayor’s Emotional Message to Trump:...
In an interview, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says ICE’s attack came from the top—and shares new details about how badly it damaged his city, while explaining how the people there are emerging utterly unbowed.
23 min
31
Trump Press Sec’s Weird Cult Moment on Fox Wrec...
As Karoline Leavitt’s spin about ICE violence takes a ludicrous turn, a Democratic messaging strategist explains the real reason the White House is in an unusually weak position—and how Dems can capitalize.
21 min
32
Trump Is a Weak and Failing President—Finally, ...
As Trump’s losses mount on many fronts, TNR editor Michael Tomasky discusses our special issue, which is chock full of pieces explaining how Democrats can take advantage of this highly fluid moment.
33 min
33
Trump Threat to Rig 2026 Darkens amid Damning N...
As new revelations make the FBI’s seizure of Georgia ballots look worse, a voting rights advocate walks us through the nightmare scenarios for 2026—and how we can prepare for them right now.
14 min
34
Krugman: Trump’s Trade Adviser Just Exposed the...
As Trump trade official Peter Navarro reveals too much about the president’s terrible jobs record, economist Paul Krugman explains how this moment exposes the deeper fraudulence of the whole MAGA agenda.
27 min
35
Trump’s Fury at NFL Show Spikes amid Fresh Sign...
As Trump-MAGA rage at Bad Bunny grows, and polling shows he’s bleeding the working class, a reporter who covers Latino culture explains how both developments reveal Trump and MAGA are trapped in a bubble.
20 min
36
A MAGA Voter’s Viral Takedown of Trump’s Racism...
As Trump faces intense blowback over his racist mockery of the Obamas, the writer of a new piece on Trump, MAGA and the Super Bowl explains how Trumpism’s cultural power is rapidly shrinking.
18 min
37
Trump Press Sec Snaps at Media as Her Spin on H...
After Trump called for Republicans to “nationalize” the midterms, Karoline Leavitt struggled to spin it away. We talked to an election law expert who explains the nightmare scenarios we should fear the most.
18 min
38
Trump Blurts Out Hint of Weakness on ICE as Cam...
As Trump’s planned ICE detention camps face resistance in unlikely places, a sharp observer of Democrats explains how this moment is handing them a major opportunity to seize control of this debate.
21 min
39
Trump Spirals into Crazed Fury after Harvard Hu...
As Trump rages at Harvard over leaks that he’s backtracking in his fight with the university, a Harvard political scientist explains why the stakes in this battle are far bigger than they seem.
19 min
40
Trump ICE Threats Take Darker Turn as MAGA Erup...
As Trump’s designs grow more unnerving and MAGA figures call for an escalation, a journalist who closely tracks ICE explains how the agency is effectively becoming an instrument of authoritarian state terror.
19 min
41
Trump Tirade over Protests Goes Off Rails as Cr...
As Trump ignores a brutal Fox News poll and grows more delusional about his hated ICE raids, a longing pro-immigrant organizer explains why this may be a watershed moment in terms of public opinion on the issue.
19 min
42
Trump-GOP Panic over ICE Grows as MAGA Goes Off...
With Republicans admitting ICE is political poison even as MAGA figures demand more brutality, The Contrarian’s Jennifer Rubin explains how Democrats can exploit this moment to split the Trump coalition.
21 min
43
Trump Erupts at GOPers over Kristi Noem as Her ...
As DHS Secretary Noem’s position grows shakier, the author of a piece on Minneapolis explains how the courage of ordinary people turned this story around—and how Trumpworld totally lost control of it.
18 min
44
Trump Advisers Quietly Turn on Stephen Miller a...
As the schism in Trumpworld worsens over ICE’s atrocities, a journalist who spent time in Minneapolis explains how recent events reveal that Trump-Miller-MAGA ideology miscalculated at a very profound level.
24 min
45
Dem Senator’s Harsh New Takedown of Trump Hits ...
As Trump scrambles to contain the damage from the latest ICE horrors, Senator Chris Murphy offers a sharp indictment of Trump-ICE lawlessness—and explains how Dems can meet the urgency of the moment.
22 min
46
Trump Accidentally Wrecks His Own Case for Tari...
As Trump’s threats sink deeper into absurdity, MS NOW’s Steve Benen explains how he gave away the game on his tariffs’ corrupt rationales—and why it’ll be a disaster for our country if he gets away with them.
20 min
47
Trump Explodes in Wild Fury at Poll that Hits H...
As Trump rages over “fake” polls after a New York Times survey delivers abysmal findings, a leading political theorist grapples with whether popular opposition has any hope of constraining him at all.
26 min
48
Trump Press Sec Goes Full Cult as Reviews of Da...
As Karoline Leavitt and others struggle to spin Trump’s speech as a world-historical triumph, a critic of Trump’s unfitness for the presidency explains why it was a disaster for our whole country and its future.
27 min
49
Trump Tirades on Greenland Get So Dark that It ...
As Trump’s threats toward Greenland prompt growing fears in many quarters, we discuss the deeper reasons he’s able to pose such a danger to the international order—and what fresh horrors lie ahead.
21 min
50
Trump’s Rage at Protests Boils Over as ICE Scan...
As Trump’s threats escalate toward anti-ICE protestors, the author of a piece on his response to crises explains how he exploits moments of national trauma toward broader, more nefarious ends.
21 min