June 18th • 2h 50m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
📰 Topical Articles (summary + full original text)
While Mexico defends 'sovereignty,' cartels import a flesh-eating parasite into Texas (Fox News Opinion)
A Fox News Opinion op-ed by Selene Rodriguez and Ammon Blair (June 17, 2026) reframing the New World Screwworm outbreak as a national-security / sovereignty story rather than just agriculture. It argues Mexican cartels act as de facto proxies for the Mexican state, smuggling ~800,000 cattle/year from Central America into Mexico with fake ear tags and falsified records to dodge inspections — the pipeline driving the parasite toward Texas. The authors charge Mexico 'invokes sovereignty' while practicing only selective cooperation, and call for the US to stop decoupling trade policy from national security.
Full text
# 📰 FOX OPINION article — the source behind the screwworm story (for OPML / read-on-air)
**Source:** *Fox News Opinion* — **"While Mexico defends 'sovereignty,' cartels import a flesh-eating parasite into Texas"** by **Selene Rodriguez** and **Ammon Blair**, published **June 17, 2026**.
URL: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/mexico-defends-sovereignty-cartels-import-flesh-eating-parasite-texas
*(Opinion piece, no embedded video — this is the article Adam flagged. Companion broadcast clips cut from LiveNOW from FOX, see 00 / 01 in this folder.)*
## 📋 Summary
An op-ed framing the New World Screwworm (NWS) outbreak as a **national-security / sovereignty** story, not just an agriculture one. The authors argue Mexican **cartels function as de facto proxies for the Mexican state**, smuggling roughly **800,000 cattle a year** from Central America into Mexico with **fake ear tags and falsified veterinary records** to dodge inspections — and that this illicit pipeline is what's driving the flesh-eating parasite toward Texas. They charge that while Mexico **"invokes sovereignty," it practices only selective cooperation**, and call for the U.S. to stop decoupling trade policy from national security.
## Key claims / facts (as written)
- **Framing line (opening):** *"As the New World screwworm returns to American soil for the first time since its eradication 60 years ago, Texas is now on the front line of Mexico's threat to U.S. sovereignty and national security."*
- **Cartel-as-state-proxy:** *"Mexican cartels function as de facto proxies for elements of the Mexican state in this gray-zone campaign. They move an estimated **800,000 cattle per year** from Central America into Mexico through these same poorly governed corridors, using **fake ear tags and falsified veterinary records** to bypass government checkpoints, sanitary inspections, and taxes."*
- **Money:** the illicit cattle trade allegedly generates roughly **$320 million/year**.
- **Outbreak scale (as of June 3):** **171,700+ cumulative animal cases** and **2,070+ human cases** across Mexico and Central America; authors note many cases go unreported so figures "likely understate the outbreak's true scale."
- **Sovereignty critique:** Mexico's leaders *"continue to invoke sovereignty while practicing selective cooperation."*
- **USDA / border:** cites Ag Secretary **Brooke Rollins** — *"Food security is national security. If America cannot feed itself, it cannot fully defend itself."* References the U.S. **shutting the southern border to livestock imports** to stop the spread.
- **Trade imbalance:** U.S. imported **$43.9B** in ag goods from Mexico in 2025 vs **$30.6B** exported — a **$13.3B deficit**.
- **Closing argument:** *"The United States must not decouple trade policy from national security. No policy, protocol, or quarantine can protect America while Mexico's cartel-state alliance keeps those routes open."*
## Why it matters (NA frame)
This is the OPINION-page move that upgrades a livestock-pest story into a **cartel / sovereignty / border-security** narrative — "cartels are importing a flesh-eating parasite into Texas." The companion FOX broadcast clips in this folder give the on-the-ground reality check: an actual reporter noting **no livestock can currently cross the border from Mexico**, a U.S. herd at a **75-year low**, and a Texas political food-fight (Sid Miller vs. Sec. Rollins) over whether ranchers will even **report** infestations.
00 ⚔️ IRAN DEAL — STRAIT OF HORMUZ — CHORUS OF BRASS
The US-Iran framework heads toward a Geneva signing while its text stays secret — signed and 'in effect' yet unreleased. Trump's G7-wrap presser carries the swagger (bomb-them enforcement, send-JD-to-sign, oil 'plummeting'), Vance pre-frames the counter-narrative on CBS, and the MSM chorus picks it apart: the nuke language is 'plagiarized' off Obama's JCPOA, the six war goals mostly went unmet, and Iran 'comes out stronger.' Capping it, PM Carney says he's personally seen the page-and-a-half MOU and calls it a game changer, while Obama warns you can't bomb your way to a solution.
Clips — 28
Trump G7 Presser
00 Iran enforcement take you to court sue you bomb the hell out of them - CSPAN
Asked how the unreleased Iran MOU is enforceable, Trump says it doesn't have to be — he told Iran if they don't adhere, 'we're going to bomb the hell out of you.' His logic: what else, take them to court, sue them? He closes musing that war is a nasty place he sees 'better than maybe anybody.' Adam's must-have.
01 wise man who said that Donald Trump + NYT CNN dishonest - CSPAN
Trump quotes a 'wise man' from January 2020 — 'Iran never won a war but never lost a negotiation' — then reveals the wise man was himself. Asked how he'd convince skeptics, he says even if Iran raised the white flag and called him the greatest president ever, the New York Times and CNN would spin it as an Iran victory because they're dishonest.
02 send JD to sign if it works out I take credit if not blaming JD - CSPAN
Peter asks why Trump won't stay for the Iran signing; Trump says it's only an MOU, not the kind of document he should sign — better to send the VP. The gag: if it works out he looks like a genius, if it doesn't 'I'm blaming JD. You better be careful, JD — he's going to turn his plane around.'
03 we will bomb them thats with me as president weak pathetic president - CSPAN
Pressed on whether the deal permanently prevents a nuclear Iran when the drafts barely mention it, Trump says it should be permanent and if not 'we will bomb them' at a level three times greater. Payoff: 'that's with me as president. If you have a weak, pathetic president, maybe that doesn't happen.'
04 Were not putting up money only if theyre doing things right 300 billion fund - CSPAN
Question-first cut: a reporter frames the US as letting Iran make billions off a reconstruction fund. Trump pushes back — 'only if they're doing things right... we're not putting up money' — calling the $300B fund conditional, and notes Iran took a trillion+ in damage and faces 15-20 years to rebuild. (Adam: the NYT launched the $300B rumor.)
05 Thank you for the word plummeting gasoline in the threes coming down a lot lower - CSPAN
Question-first cut: a reporter notes oil prices are now plummeting and asks how the Iran deal affects energy prices (and how JD Vance did on The View). Trump: 'thank you for the word plummeting, because that's what's happening' — oil is the biggest input, 'we're hitting in the threes now for gasoline, and that'll come down a lot lower.'
Vance on the Deal
00 Vance CBS Iran Deal -3- verification no US troops
On AC360, S.E. Cupp argues Trump is positioning JD Vance as the designated fall guy should the Iran deal collapse.
01 Vance CBS Iran Deal -4- this is not the JCPOA
On AC360, S.E. Cupp argues Trump is positioning JD Vance as the designated fall guy should the Iran deal collapse.
02 Vance CBS Iran Deal -5- Israel expected to honor
Anchor Gail asks if Israel is on board; it 'doesn't appear so.' Vance: Israel's been a good partner but 'we expect everybody in the region... to honor this agreement,' there are always bumpy ceasefire moments, and some Iranians, because of the internet blackout, aren't even aware the deal happened. Closes: good for everyone 'only if the Iranians comply.'
The MSM Chorus
00 CBS Aaron McLean the deal text is secret yet in effect - CBS
CBS analyst Aaron MacLean flags something extraordinary: the US-Iran deal is signed and in effect, yet the text is secret — even as the administration is frustrated by Iran spinning it. If released, we'd see in black and white when the Strait opens. 'The enormous question of the day is: why won't they release it?' — and why, with Macron right there, Trump just says 'soon.'
01 CBS Imtiaz Tayyab -2- we arent even negotiating with the new supreme leader - CBS
CBS's Imtiaz Tyab notes the US isn't negotiating directly with Iran's new supreme leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, who hasn't been seen or heard from since being appointed — talks run through senior officials with Pakistan and Qatar mediating. Any deal still needs Khamenei's blessing, so 'will the Iranian leadership remain committed once the harder negotiations begin?'
02 Israeli Officials Not Happy With Iran Deal - FOX
Fox reporter from Tel Aviv: many Israeli officials don't want this deal — it doesn't address their core concern — though the admin says it ultimately stops Iran's nuclear path. It opens the Strait of Hormuz plus a 60-day nuclear-accountability window; an Israeli strike hit southern Lebanon this morning and Hezbollah remains. Bottom line: 'not happy, but Trump didn't want an endless war.'
03 MSNBC Iran Deal -1- two losers Trump and Netanyahu Iran comes out stronger - MSNBC
MSNBC correspondent: there are two clear political losers — first Trump himself, as two sources close to the White House say all his closest advisers had turned against the war, pushing him to end it 'at any cost' because it was so disastrous politically; second Netanyahu, with the Gulf frustrated. 'There's no question Iran is coming out stronger.'
04 MSNBC Iran Deal -2- the six war goals scorecard not achieved - MSNBC
MSNBC runs Trump's own six goals from Feb 28 against the outcome: destroy missiles — no; stop proxies — no; annihilate the navy — partial; raze the missile industry — short-term but Iran now has billions to rebuild; 'help is on the way' to topple the regime — it wasn't, hardliners are empowered. 'It's really not even a peace deal,' and Iran says it can close the Strait at any point.
05 Morning Joe Iran Deal -1- the nuke language is plagiarized off Obamas deal - MSNBC
Joe Scarborough: the MOU's nuclear language — which Trump said is why he fought the war — is 'identical, as in plagiarized' off Obama's deal. He reads both: Obama's 7/14/2015 'under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop, or acquire any nuclear weapons' vs Trump's 'Iran cannot develop or purchase a nuclear weapon' — 'it's the identical language,' yet Republicans called Obama's the worst deal ever.
06 Obama Casts Doubt On Trumps Iran Deal - FOX
Obama SOT: 'It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different, or a significant improvement, from the deal that we had in the first place... before we, the United States, pulled out of it.' The JCPOA-defense counter-voice to the whole chorus.
07 Yingst How Trumps Iran Deal Differs From Obamas JCPOA - FOX
Anchor: Obama said today the deal 'wouldn't be much different than the JCPOA' — how is it different and better? Fox's Trey Yingst: the JCPOA let Iran keep enriching all the way toward weapons-grade in 'weeks if not days,' setting them on a path to a weapon; 'this agreement does not allow the Iranians to keep ANY of their enriched material,' so they can't repeat the process once US forces leave.
Reactions — Carney / Obama / Regime-Change
00 Carney says he saw the secret Iran ceasefire MOU - game changer - CNN
Pressed 'Did you actually SEE the agreement itself?', Canadian PM Mark Carney says yes — a page-and-a-half MOU: cessation of hostilities, a 60-day ceasefire, conditions, 'well-structured.' Payoff: 'I think it's a game changer... it allows us to step back, look anew at Ukraine.'
01 Trump never cared about Iran regime change - NYPOST
Trump on regime change: 'I never cared' about it — the three groups of Iranian leadership are dead or gone, and the people the US now deals with are rational, not radicalized, 'looking to help their country.'
02 Obama on bombing Iran vs diplomacy - ABC NEWS
Asked how the Iran situation is being handled, Obama says it's doubtful any new deal beats the one the US pulled out of, and he's hopeful the bombing stops: 'the notion that we can just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions may sometimes seem appealing... you'd think we would have learned that lesson by now, but... every so often we have to relearn that lesson again.'
CNN AC360 (Producer Steve)
00 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper - memorandum of understanding 1
On AC360, 'Anderson Pooper' digs into the Iran-deal memorandum of understanding. First of two MOU segments.
01 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper - nuclear dust - memorandum of understanding 2
On AC360, 'Anderson Pooper' digs into the Iran-deal memorandum of understanding. First of two MOU segments.
02 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper - Reagan is rolling over in his grave, iran deal
AC360 panel invokes Reagan 'rolling over in his grave' as a reaction to Trump's Iran deal.
03 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper, S. E. Cupp - Trump is setting up JD Vance to take fallif Iran deal fails
On AC360, S.E. Cupp argues Trump is positioning JD Vance as the designated fall guy should the Iran deal collapse.
MSNOW Morning Joe (Producer Steve)
00 MSNOW Moring Joe - MATH with JOE, Iran deal reparations
Morning Joe's 'MATH with Joe' bit runs the numbers on Iran-deal reparations.
01 MSNOW Moring Joe - Trump devastated Iran, now he hits them with a LOVEBOMB
Morning Joe frames the deal as Trump first devastating Iran, then following with a 'LOVEBOMB.'
CNN The Lead + JCPOA (Producer Steve)
00 CNN The Lead - Phil Mattingly, Barak Ravid - Iran nuclear deal highly unlikely within 60-days
On The Lead, Phil Mattingly and reporter Barak Ravid assess that a finalized Iran nuclear deal is highly unlikely within the 60-day window.
01 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran
Reference clip on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the prior Iran nuclear agreement; background context for the deal coverage.
01 🇮🇱 ISRAEL DOESN'T CONTROL TRUMP
The contrarian-to-the-Tucker/Megyn/Candace 'Trump is controlled by Israel' line: across the 6/16 G7 gaggle and the 6/17 C-SPAN wrap presser, Trump repeatedly asserts the US is the senior partner and shows open displeasure with Israel. He says Israel bombed Beirut ~2 hours before the deal signing and he let them know he didn't like it, that Syria should take care of Hezbollah, that Bibi is 'a very small partner,' and that 'without me there would be no Israel' — even invoking Bibi begging Obama not to do the JCPOA.
Clips — 11
Trump at the G7 — Beirut / Hezbollah / Bibi
00 Israel bombed Beirut 2 hours before signing I told them let Syria handle Hezbollah - gaggle
At the 6/16 G7 gaggle, Trump says he suggested Israel let Syria take care of Hezbollah ('they do a better job'), then that two hours before signing the agreement Israel hit Beirut itself. Payoff: 'I did not like that. I let them know that.'
01 Syria should take Hezbollah go get them with precision not knock down buildings - CSPAN presser
At the 6/17 C-SPAN wrap presser, Trump says Israel could do a much better job on Hezbollah but Syria would love to — praising the new Syrian president he installed, who 'wouldn't knock down buildings every time he hears there's somebody — he'd just go and get them with precision.'
02 Hes a very small partner were the big partner - CSPAN presser
Trump frames Bibi as a good man who 'gets a little excited' and slips in a Lebanon rebuke ('softer touch, baby — you don't have to knock down a building every time'). Payoff: Bibi may say 'we're the big partner' but 'he's a very small partner, and that's true' — the clearest US-is-senior-partner line.
03 Israel could do much better job with Hezbollah I dont think theyre doing well - CSPAN presser
Trump calls Israel a good partner but says they could do better on Hezbollah: 'when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don't have to knock down buildings in Beirut.' Payoff: 'they could do a much better job with Hezbollah. On that, I don't think they're doing well.'
04 Beirut was unnecessary in my book how would you like to live there - CSPAN presser
On the Lebanon ceasefire, Trump says he feels for the people living under dropped buildings: 'How would you like to live there? It's so unfair, especially Beirut.' He looked at where Israel hit — 'that was a big hit. That was unnecessary in my book.'
05 Now Bibi has to be more responsible Im not happy how Israel handled Lebanon - gaggle
At the 6/16 gaggle, Trump says he has a great relationship with Bibi but now Bibi has to be more responsible on Lebanon: 'I'm not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah... throws a negative light on the deal with Iran.'
06 Without me there would be no Israel dominance flip - gaggle
Asked if he's frustrated with Netanyahu, Trump says no but didn't like the drone-pretext Beirut strike ('vicious... too much'), then pivots to dominance: 'without the United States there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did.'
07 Bibi begged Obama not to do JCPOA Israel terminated without me - CSPAN presser
Trump recounts that Bibi came and begged Barack Hussein Obama not to do the JCPOA, warning it could be the end of Israel. Obama didn't listen; Trump says 'I came along and terminated that deal... Israel would have been terminated. I think the whole Middle East would have been terminated.'
Israel Stunned (Producer Steve)
00 MSNOW Moring Joe - Israeli Hawks Feel Betrayed by Trump's Iran Deal 1
Morning Joe panel reports that Israeli hawks feel betrayed by Trump's Iran deal. Part 1 of 2.
01 MSNOW Moring Joe - Israeli Hawks Feel Betrayed by Trump's Iran Deal 2
Morning Joe panel reports that Israeli hawks feel betrayed by Trump's Iran deal. Part 1 of 2.
02 MSNOW Moring Joe - the other Willie Geist, Frank Foer - Israel, Stunned by Trump’s Iran Deal
On Morning Joe, 'the other Willie Geist' talks with Frank Foer, who says Israel is stunned by Trump's Iran deal.
02 🛢️ HORMUZ · OIL · THE STRAITS
The post-deal energy chapter: NBC confirms the 14-point MOU is signed, granting toll-free Hormuz passage and ending the US naval blockade. CNBC's 'Ghalibaf factor' read has VP Vance declaring 'the Straits of Hormuz are open,' while Starmer says the UK and Macron are assembling a coalition to escort vessels through. With supply fears lifting, crude collapses from wartime $100-$120 down to ~$75 — opening the supply-glut story.
Clips — 4
The 14-Point MOU / Hormuz Reopens
00 Iran deal signed - 14-point MOU Hormuz reopens US ends blockade - NBC
NBC Nightly News: two US officials confirm the deal is signed at the G7 — a 14-point MOU granting toll-free passage of the Strait of Hormuz, the US ending its naval blockade, and Iran reaffirming no nukes. Trump nuances it's an MOU not final, then threatens: if they don't behave, 'right smack in the middle of their head.'
The Ghalibaf Factor
00 VP Vance - Ghalibaf at the table, Straits of Hormuz are open - CNBC
CNBC's Brian Sullivan asks VP JD Vance whether hardline Speaker Ghalibaf being at the table is the best sign for the deal. Vance says the US is dealing with the full Iranian spectrum and 'has all the cards' — even as-is, 'their military is destroyed, the Straits of Hormuz are open, their nuclear program has been destroyed' — with an 'open hand' offer. 'That's the offer.'
UK / Macron Escort Coalition
00 Starmer - UK and Macron assembling coalition to escort vessels back through Hormuz - euronews
UK PM Starmer welcomes Trump's Hormuz deal as 'a really important breakthrough' and says that at the G7 he and Macron assembled a group of countries prepared to provide 'reassurance to get vessels through the strait.' The closure 'has had an impact on our economy... on every household' — 'So we'll play our full part in relation to that.'
Oil Price Slide
00 Crude slips to $75, Brent down post-Iran-deal - Republic World
Republic World breaking: oil that traded $100/$110/$120 a barrel during the West Asia war crisis has now slipped to ~$75, with Brent down as well, after the US-Iran peace deal was announced — the price collapse that opens the supply-glut chapter. (Adam: 'Now we're talking about a supply glut! Who would have thought.')
03 🇷🇺 RUSSIA · UKRAINE
Clips — 3
00 BBC - after iran deal trump focuses on ukraine
BBC coverage noting that with the Iran nuclear deal done, Trump is turning his attention to the war in Ukraine.
01 BBC Moscow refinery hit 2nd time this week by ~200 drones, no sign Putin bends - BBC
BBC Moscow's Steve Rosenberg: Muscovites woke to the biggest attack yet, ~200 drones downed en route; the mayor says a Moscow oil refinery was hit — black smoke over SE Moscow, its 2nd strike this week. No sign so far that Putin will negotiate; the Kremlin admits problems but a pro-Kremlin paper spins it as Russia winning on the battlefield.
02 Trump - we took sanctions off Russian oil because not looking to impede it - FRANCE 24
At the G7, Trump explains he lifted sanctions on Russian oil because he's 'not looking to impede it' — oil is flowing, so he frames re-imposing Russia sanctions as a lever he's holding back. Ties to the oil-price/Iran-deal thread.
04 📺 VANCE ON THE VIEW
VP JD Vance's first-ever View appearance (third sitting VP ever, first Republican) — ostensibly promoting his faith book 'Communion' but grilled across the board. Nine clips from the appearance: the 'are you his interpreter or his VP?' inflation puncture, his Epstein answers (self-IDing as a 'conspiracy theorist,' the Trump-narked-on-him defense, the 2.5M-docs deflection), the 'America's Hitler' conversion admission, the ICE detention reframe, the black-history-erasure non-answer, and the 'childless cat ladies' walk-back.
Clips — 9
00 Vance View - are you his interpreter or his VP (I love the inflation spin)
Vance claims the admin has 'made good progress' on costs; Ana Navarro counters that Trump literally said 'I love the inflation.' When Vance insists Trump meant he loves that it'll 'come down when the war is over,' Navarro nails him: 'Are you his interpreter or are you his vice president?' — and Vance re-delivers the identical spin.
01 Vance View - Epstein conspiracy theorist Susie thinks I am one
Sunny Hostin reads the NYT report that Vance was the behind-the-scenes lead pushing to release the Epstein files. Vance confirms it: 'absolutely she [Susie Wiles] thinks I'm a conspiracy theorist on the Epstein stuff,' explaining it's 'crazy' a clear 'sex predator' was hanging out with the very wealthy and powerful — 'and I wanted to have full transparency.'
02 Vance View - Americas Hitler to best hope I was wrong about Trump
Joy Behar reads Vance's own evolution back to him — from 'America's Hitler' to 'America's best hope' — plus his 2016 'Lord, help us' line. Vance recasts the flip as 'humility' over wrong economic predictions (no wage growth, no factory jobs returning), landing on the flat admission: 'I got some things wrong and I was wrong about him.'
03 Vance View - detention centers subhuman 6200 kids vs children as bait
Navarro confronts Vance with 50+ deaths in ICE custody and ~6,200 children held at places like Dilley in 'subhuman, infrahuman conditions,' urging him to visit as a Christian and father. Vance says law enforcement 'is always inherently not a very pretty process,' disputes the detainees are peaceful, and reframes: the truly inhumane thing is 'to allow cartels to sex traffic people across our border.'
04 Vance View - black history erased where do Americans of color fit
Sunny Hostin presses that black history is being erased from public spaces, black voter districts dismantled and black leaders sidelined — 'where do Americans of color fit in this vision? Because it doesn't seem like we fit.' Vance says he's 'skeptical' of the cited numbers, then deflects to a generality: 'everybody is welcome in our country so long as you're an American citizen.'
05 Vance View - childless cat ladies was boneheaded (graded on a curve at The View)
Asked about his book mea culpa for calling Democrats 'childless cat ladies,' Vance calls it his 'most boneheaded comment,' jokes that Joy Behar told him backstage he's 'fine' — 'about the best endorsement I'm going to get out of Joy Behar for a Republican... graded on a curve here at The View' — then lands on contrition: the comment 'closed people down,' 'and that's on me to do better.'
06 Vance View - Epstein Trump narked on him to police vs incredibly close friends
Vance defends the Trump–Epstein relationship: yes they knew each other in the '80s, but Trump threw Epstein out of his club as 'a creep' and reported him — 'the media ignores he narked on him to the police.' Navarro pushes back ('allegedly over a real estate deal'; 'they were incredibly close friends'); Vance holds: 'He reported him to the police... That is objectively true.'
07 Vance View - Epstein Trump not afraid of Republican Congress called senators to sign
Taking the 'did Trump release the files only under duress?' charge head-on, Vance says 'the idea that Donald Trump runs around afraid of Republican Congress... is kind of crazy.' He says Trump was frustrated Democrats made it about him, but 'eventually came to say let's just get everything out there' and 'called the senators and said pass this bill, I'll sign it. And that was it.'
08 Vance View - Epstein why havent we seen 2.5 million more docs duplicates not holding back
Sunny Hostin presses on the 2.5 million additional Epstein documents not yet released. Vance: 'we've released 6 million pages... my understanding is the 2.5 million are duplicates of things already released. We're not holding anything back,' pivoting to court approval and ending: 'I would need to actually know exactly what you're talking about.'
05 🥊 UFC AT THE WHITE HOUSE · 250TH
Trump's 80th-birthday / America-250th UFC Freedom 250 event staged at the White House and Lincoln Memorial. Monday: MSNBC's deconstruction — 'bread and circus with no bread' plus the self-dealing, the 'America's Roman moment' humiliation, and a champ smearing Michelle Obama. Tuesday: the aftermath — FBI/Patel's reveal of a foiled drone-and-sniper plot sets off Secret Service fury at Patel, Trump's gaggle deflection ('the only attack I watched were the fighters'), and Vance blaming left-wing rhetoric while CNN disputes it.
Clips — 7
The 250th Grift (MSNBC)
00 UFC Grift -1- bread and circus with no bread plus the self-dealing - MSNBC
Ashley: people compare this to gladiator 'bread and circus' — 'interesting at a time when so many Americans feel they don't even have the bread.' Then the self-dealing list: Trump bought $50,000 of UFC stock in March; winners paid bonuses in Trump's crypto; sponsored by a $35M Trump super-PAC donor; Polymarket (Trump Jr. advisor); viewable only on Paramount Plus — amid Ellison deals the admin approves.
01 UFC Roman Moment -1- a weekend of humiliation and bread and circuses - MSNBC
Miles: 'a weekend of humiliation for the president and the United States' — Trump lost court rulings on his name on federal buildings and rewriting national-park history. 'To anyone steeped in history this felt a lot like America's Roman moment,' invoking Juvenal, who coined 'bread and circuses' as the distraction masking 'the slide into despotism' — 'the gladiator-like spectacle... on the emperor's 80th birthday.'
02 UFC White House -1- champ smears Michelle Obama and the double standard - MSNBC
'Really ugly moment at the White House UFC event Sunday' — heavyweight champ Josh Hokut, after beating Derek Lewis, used his moment to smear former first lady Michelle Obama. The anchor: imagine MAGA's reaction 'if a similar disgusting thing was said about First Lady Melania Trump at an official event — it would be nice if there was one standard for such things.'
The Plot / Secret Service (MSNOW · CNN)
00 Secret Service vs Patel -1- permission structure to call him an idiot - MSNOW
Admin officials are furious Patel tweeted the foiled plot while the case was sealed with ~10 suspects uncaught. SS deputy director Quinn rebukes the 'premature announcement' — 'don't choke on your own smoke... we chose not to leak it.' Nicolle Wallace calls it 'the closest thing I've seen to a permission structure to call Kash Patel an idiot from inside Trump's own administration.'
01 Secret Service vs Patel -2- Feinberg malevolence and incompetence suspects scattered - MSNOW
Ex-FBI Michael Feinberg calls Patel's premature tweet the 'weird combination of malevolence and incompetence' of someone 'manifestly unsuited.' The operational substance: you arrest under seal precisely because there are more people to catch and you keep co-conspirators from fleeing — but Patel 'gave them a heads up' and now they 'may be scattered to the four winds.'
02 Trump Gaggle the only attack I watched were the fighters - CNN
A reporter asks if Trump was briefed on the attack plans for the UFC White House event. Trump deflects — 'I haven't heard about it, no. But I watched. The attack that I watched were the fighters' — then riffs on the great evening, the arena Dana built, and 'another fight next year? I got away with it, that's 250 years. Maybe another 50, maybe 300.'
03 Vance blames the left for violence then CNN disputes it - CNN
CNN cues a Vance SOT from Fox: he calls the plot 'very dark stuff,' says it's what happens when rhetoric runs so high disagreement becomes cause for violence — and 'you see more political violence and violent rhetoric coming from the left than the right.' CNN immediately editorializes back: 'that assertion... is at least in some dispute.'
06 🌍 DYING WORLD ORDER · UK · EUROPE
The post-war Western order is wobbling. Starmer reverses course to back the US-Iran deal as his ministers resign and Labour slips to third behind Reform UK, while an analyst argues France, Germany and Britain would all fall to MAGA-style parties if elections were held today. Starmer pivots to a sweeping under-16 social-media ban, NPR's On The Media spends six segments pinning Britain's riots on Elon Musk and 'great replacement' theory while the actual migrant-committed murders are treated as backdrop, and a UK panel mocks a woke curriculum teaching that Stonehenge was built by black people and Nero married a trans woman.
Clips — 10
Starmer About-Face
00 DWO Starmer -1- the about-face from this is not our war to backing the deal - FOX
Starmer SOT: 'whatever the pressure, whatever the noise, I'll act in the British national interest... this is not our war and we're not going to get dragged into it' — yet he's now told Trump he's ready to support a US-Iran peace deal even as his defense secretary and armed-forces minister resign. Analyst Christian Whitton: 'Starmer's in crisis — he won a five-year mandate two years ago but is about to be ousted by his own party; Labour is now third, behind Reform UK and the Tories... he's looking for a victory,' having actively campaigned against Trump's use of force on Iran.
01 DWO Starmer -2- if elections were held today France Germany Britain would fall - FOX
Whitton on what's really driving Starmer's weakness: 'it's what's driving populist forces across the continent. If free and fair elections were held today, the governments of France, Germany, and Britain would fall and be replaced by right-leaning, MAGA-like parties.' Payoff: 'the G7, except for the United States, is a snapshot of what mattered economically in the late 1970s — these pro-immigration, soft-on-jihad, anti-American politicians are just out of popularity.'
UK Under-16 Social Media Ban
00 Starmer Announces Under-16 Social Media Ban - SKYNEWS
Starmer: 'today is a big moment... I can announce the government will ban access to social media for all children under 16.' He pre-empts the pushback — 'not something I do lightly... social media has brought benefits' — then lands it: 'a full ban is the right choice. I come to it as a parent,' closing rhetorically, 'do we truly believe social media creates a happy, safe environment for our children? I don't think I even need to answer those questions, do I?'
OTM — Musk & the UK Riots Framing
00 OTM UK Riots -1- Musks racist posts sparked the violent riots - WNYC
OTM opens noting Musk took SpaceX public as the first trillionaire 'but apparently Musk has also had time to write many, many racist posts on X, some of which helped spark violent riots in the UK.' The actual trigger: a Sudanese man was arrested for the attempted-murder stabbing of a white man in Northern Ireland, a video spread online — and OTM pivots straight to Musk's tweet 'only by protesting repeatedly and loudly will there be any change' as the villain.
01 OTM UK Riots -2- the conspiracy theorist Tommy Robinson and Musks repost - WNYC
Wired's David Gilbert (covers 'disinformation and online extremism') says the events were 'spurred in part by posts from a notorious conspiracy theorist — Tommy Robinson is the most prominent far-right actor.' Payoff: 'Things really heated up after Elon Musk reposted one of Robinson's videos, stoking tensions and making it seem as if the UK is under attack from minorities.'
02 OTM UK Riots -3- the 24-hour roadmap from a video to Musk to masked men - WNYC
Gilbert's blow-by-blow: 10:30pm someone videoed the stabbing; an hour later Tommy Robinson posted it to 6 million views; Musk then 'spent the next 24 hours posting consistently' — 'this is enough, we have to take a stance, people have to push back' — 'and by 7pm there were masked men on the street kicking in doors of migrants, setting fire to vehicles, terrorizing migrant communities across Belfast.'
03 OTM UK Riots -4- murders dismissed as great replacement theory - WNYC
Gilbert: 'Elon Musk wrote, murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their hometown is what's making people angry, not social media,' and reposted claims that Starmer hates white people. OTM's frame folds the real murders into ideology: 'This is just like white-supremacist great replacement theory, repackaged recently as remigration... embraced by the Trump administration — the idea that white people are under attack, so we need to kick everyone else out that doesn't look like us.'
04 OTM UK Riots -5- the 30-year three-phase remigration plan - WNYC
Gilbert describes a claimed 30-year plan: phase one, deport criminals here illegally; phase two, legal non-citizens 'who have not assimilated and are not white'; phase three, citizens who don't assimilate to Western culture — 'still practicing religions other than Christianity' or 'cooking foods that are not traditional' — 'kicked out.' Who decides? He says 'the godfather of remigration' Martin Sellner told him: 'ultimately, whoever's in power decides.'
05 OTM UK Riots -6- the Porto Remigration Conference and the international network - WNYC
Gilbert recounts the Remigration Conference in Porto, Portugal, 'amazed at the number of Americans' — ex-Border-Patrol commander Greg Bovino, NY Young Republicans, white supremacist Jared Taylor, members of Patriot Front — and links Patriot Front and the 'Active Clubs' to Belfast, which they 'hold up as an example' of fighting back against replacement. Closes: 'remigration is a very benign term to describe a very, very violent policy agenda.'
Woke UK Curriculum
00 Woke UK schools Stonehenge built by black people Nero married trans woman couldnt make it up - panel
A UK commentary panel reports that schools are teaching Stonehenge was built by black people; guest 'Alex' piles on with claims that lessons assert Roman Emperor Nero married a trans woman and that Roman slaves had body parts 'altered' as a form of gender transition. Payoff: 'I mean, you couldn't make it up.' (Evergreen comedy callback cut at Adam's request.)
07 🤖 THE AI BUBBLE · MEDIA · TECH
The media and tech money story this week is consolidation and the AI capital wave. Fox buys Roku for $160/share on a $12B loan days after the DOJ cleared Paramount-Skydance's WBD deal, and Byron Allen pitches CBS to stop burning $150-170M on late-night and just hand his already-owned affiliates the 11:35 slot — 'business show, not show business.' Meanwhile cash-rich Nvidia launches its first bond sale since 2021 to raise $20B (a 'head-scratcher' to fund the AI-startup GPU ecosystem), Jeff Bezos insists AI will create a labor shortage rather than make humans redundant, and a Verge staffer 3D-prints anti-ICE whistles around the clock as activism-journalism.
Clips — 11
Fox Buys Roku
00 Fox Buys Roku -1- the media-consolidation wave - YAHOO FINANCE
'More media consolidation in the space' — M&A Monday: Friday the DOJ approved Paramount-Skydance's acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery, and now Fox will acquire Roku for $160/share cash-and-stock, funded partly by a new $12 billion loan. Fox down ~17% (normal for an acquirer), Roku popped 20% on the whisper. The deal joins Fox's news/sports/Tubi with Roku's devices and Roku Channel; Lachlan Murdoch calls it 'a defining moment.'
01 Fox Buys Roku -2- why Fox is buying 100 million users - BLOOMBERG
Bloomberg Intelligence media analyst Geetha Raghunathan: the deal makes 'a lot of strategic sense — Fox stayed away from streaming, almost 90% of its revenue is the linear-TV ecosystem, which is in secular decline.' It buys a streaming gateway — '100 million users for $3.6 billion' — plus Roku's ad business (roughly quadrupling Fox's ~$1.2B digital ad take) and access to ~50% of US broadband households. 'You want to be where the viewer is.'
Byron Allen / CBS
00 Byron Allen to CBS Mornings — billion in affiliates save 150-170M business show not show business - CBS Mornings
Asked how the unusual deal came together (he came out of pocket), Byron Allen lays out the economics: networks squeezed by sports rights and ad dollars fleeing linear, so he's invested ~$1B buying ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox affiliates plus the Weather Channel, then pitched CBS to stop burning $150-170M on Colbert and hand his already-owned affiliates the 11:35 audience for his own show. Caps it: 'business show, not show business.'
Nvidia $20B Debt
00 Bloomberg Ed Ludlow — Nvidia 20B first bond sale since 2021 head-scratcher why cash-flush co needs debt - Bloomberg
An anchor frames Nvidia raising at least $20B in its first corporate bond sale since 2021 as inevitable; Bloomberg Tech co-host Ed Ludlow injects the tension — why does a company this flush with cash need to borrow at all, a 'head-scratcher.' Payoff: like Alphabet and Amazon, Nvidia wants to lower its cost of capital and keep strategic options open to keep investing in the ecosystem of AI startups that rely on its GPUs.
Bezos on AI Jobs
00 Bezos says AI will create a labor shortage not redundancy - NY POST
Bezos opens cold on the worry 'that AI is going to make humans redundant' and disagrees: AI will create a LABOR SHORTAGE. His mechanism — ideas that used to stay in your head and go nowhere can now move through a 'dream-build loop.' Payoff: we'll be 'limited not by our capabilities but by our imaginations.'
Verge / ICE Whistles
00 The Verge staffer 3D-prints emergency whistles 247 to protect neighbors from ICE - Verge
A Verge staffer narrates that the first thing they do every morning and the last before bed is harvest emergency whistles from a 3D printer running nearly 24/7 ('boxes full of whistles, bags full of whistles'), to help protect neighbors from ICE. Payoff: 'doing something, anything at all, feels so much better than nothing — it's almost too easy.' (Woke-activism-as-journalism callback to the NA-1878 Verge story.)
Bernie's AI Sovereign-Wealth-Fund (Producer Steve)
00 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper, Bernie Sanders -1 proposal for an AI sovereign wealth fund that would fund UBI
Continuation of the Sanders AI-fund-to-UBI pitch on AC360. Part 2 of 4.
01 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper, Bernie Sanders -2 proposal for an AI sovereign wealth fund that would fund UBI
Continuation of the Sanders AI-fund-to-UBI pitch on AC360. Part 2 of 4.
02 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper, Bernie Sanders -3 proposal for an AI sovereign wealth fund that would fund UBI
Continuation of the Sanders AI-fund-to-UBI pitch on AC360. Part 2 of 4.
03 CNN AC360 - Anderson Pooper, Bernie Sanders -4 proposal for an AI sovereign wealth fund that would fund UBI
Continuation of the Sanders AI-fund-to-UBI pitch on AC360. Part 2 of 4.
Pharma Reform Ad (Producer Steve)
00 Ad - pharma reform alliance
Advertisement spot for a pharmaceutical reform alliance. Ad break, not a news segment.
08 🎤 CANDACE & THE CHARLIE KIRK THEORY
Everything that didn't fit a dedicated segment. Candace Owens runs her shaped-charge-in-the-microphone theory of the Charlie Kirk assassination (with the on-air caveat that the listener tip was embellished). Then a federal Antifa indictment, Newsom's DOJ-probe complaint, the Mangione psychiatric defense, two Trump hot-mic/USMCA trade jabs, Canada's MAID-for-mental-illness reversal, an Ebola outbreak some call invented-for-money, Moscow's refinery hit again by ~200 drones, the SPLC official who dated the neo-Nazi she funneled $1M to, the San Andreas at its highest stress in 1,000 years, and the screwworm parasite shutting the Mexican cattle border.
Clips — 3
00 Candace - rigged mic theory, bomb dogs kept away, soil paved over - CANDACE OWENS
Candace Owens runs the theory that Charlie Kirk's Rode lav mic was rigged, saying it makes every oddity make sense — bomb dogs were kept away and the crime scene was paved over with the soil excavated, because explosive residue 'really hangs onto soil.' NOTE: the listener's pager/factory-fire framing is NOT in the stream; these clips carry only her on-record claims.
01 Candace - the mic explosive shaped charge was meant to hit his chest - CANDACE OWENS
Owens: 'I feel what was meant to happen is the explosive, the shaped charge' was supposed to hit Kirk in the chest and look like a chest shot — and argues the shirt should be tested for explosive residue maintained in the fabric particles.
02 Candace Owens - our gut says Israel was involved in Charlie Kirk's assassination - CANDACE OWENS
After invoking the administration's behavior on Epstein, Owens says 'our gut, our intuition tells us that Israel was involved in Charlie Kirk's assassination' — 'that's who he was contending with in the last months of his life.'
09 🏛️ JUSTICE · WEAPONIZATION
Clips — 4
Antifa / ICE Indictment
00 US Attorney announces 15-defendant Antifa indictment over ICE op - NY POST
Minnesota US Attorney unseals a federal indictment of 15 Antifa-affiliated defendants ('Direct Action Minnesota') over violent opposition to ICE; HSI coordinated the arrests, 12 of 15 in custody, 2 fugitives. Payoff: the charges target organized lawlessness that endangers 'the very communities defendants falsely claim to be protecting.'
Newsom & the DOJ
00 Newsom DOJ probe me because Im running for president - 6abc ABC
California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims the DOJ is investigating him because he is running for president, framing the probe as politically motivated.
Mangione Defense
00 Mangione affirmative psychiatric defense - extreme emotional disturbance - 6ABC
Anchor-read package: Luigi Mangione's attorneys will present an 'affirmative psychiatric defense' claiming 'extreme emotional disturbance' at the time he killed the healthcare CEO; the judge ordered psych records turned over, dropped the large-capacity-magazine count, and set the state trial for September 8.
SPLC & the Neo-Nazi Informant
00 SPLC official dated the neo-Nazi informant she funneled $1M to — Heidi Barrack named - 13WHAM ABC
Sinclair correspondent Kayla Gaskins lays out the DOJ superseding indictment: a senior SPLC official, Heidi Barrack (former director of its Intelligence Project), was in a romantic relationship with a confidential informant embedded in the neo-Nazi National Alliance — the informant got $1M+, they shared a home and joint bank accounts, and ~$140K in donor money covered the couple's living expenses.
10 🤝 TRADE — USMCA & NAFTA
Clips — 2
00 Trump unprompted - NAFTA was the dumbest deal - GLOBAL NEWS
Caught on a hot mic with Carney at the G7, Trump unprompted slams the free-trade deal: 'dumbest deal I've ever seen other than NAFTA. NAFTA maybe was even dumber.'
01 Trump I'd rather have USMCA terminated - NY POST
Trump says he would rather see the USMCA trade agreement terminated than renegotiated, doubling down on his hostility to the deal.
11 🍁 CANADA — MAID
Clips — 1
00 Canada committee recommends against MAID for mental illness alone - GlobalNews
Global News' David Akin reports Canada is the only of 9 MAID countries to ban it for sole mental illness; 16 of 18 psychiatry programs asked not to expand it, and an all-party committee — unconvinced by safeguards — recommends NO, a recommendation the government is widely expected to accept.
12 🦠 EBOLA — DRC OUTBREAK
Clips — 2
00 Ebola could become worst in history, people dying daily - FRANCE 24
Africa CDC head warns the Ituri-province (Bundibugyo strain) outbreak could become the worst in history; only ~12% of close contacts are followed, leaving tens of thousands untraced. On the ground in Bunia: ambulances everywhere, people dying daily — 'It hurts and scares us.'
01 Some believe Ebola outbreak was invented to attract foreign monies - FRANCE 24
A Red Cross official says the response could take a year amid a lack of testing and public trust — and that some believe the disease isn't real or was 'invented to attract foreign monies'; without trust, 'we cannot even protect families.' The manufactured-crisis-for-funding angle.
13 🐛 NEW WORLD SCREWWORM
Clips — 2
00 Ritchie to LiveNOW FOX — Sid Miller says hed understand a rancher hiding screwworm USDA Rollins calls him unserious - FOX
Reporter Jonathan Ritchie tells LiveNOW from FOX that TX Ag Commissioner Sid Miller has openly said he'd understand a rancher not reporting screwworm and treating it himself since 'it's a bug that can be killed' — prompting USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to condemn the remarks as 'unserious from a potentially unserious agriculture commissioner.'
01 Ritchie to LiveNOW FOX — no livestock can cross the border from Mexico beef prices and 75-year-low herd - FOX
Ritchie says screwworm doesn't endanger the food pipeline, but 'right now there are no livestock that can cross the border from Mexico' — a big hit for cattle finishers on a herd already at a 75-year low; the longer it drags out, the harder it hits ranchers, livestock and wild-game industries.
14 🌎 SAN ANDREAS FAULT STRESS
A feel-good gratitude beat: foreign World Cup 2026 visitors marvel at American friendliness, abundance, safety and faith — Scottish/England fans on US warmth and Buc-ee's, England's Sammy Bell discovering ranch dressing, a French take that brisket beats croissants, and a chorus crediting God for the country. ⚠️ CROSSOVER FLAG: all four clips are tagged WGTDT-37 and were ALREADY USED on We Get To Do This. Include on NA ONLY if Adam wants the crossover — he can drop the whole segment. Clips 00–01 are FOX (Fox News Clips / Sunday Briefing); 02–03 are viral X montages.
Clips — 1
00 Dr Lucy Jones + CBS LA — San Andreas highest stress in 1000 yrs Cajon Pass double-fault rupture - CBS LA
CBS LA reports a new study finds the San Andreas has built more pressure than in the last 1,000 years; USGS seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones cautions it can't say WHEN. The Cajon Pass intersection of the San Andreas and San Jacinto is a 'gateway' that could let a quake rip the whole length of the state — a double-fault rupture far worse than the 1989 6.9 Loma Prieta quake that killed 63.
15 🇺🇸 TOURISTS LOVE AMERICA (WGTDT crossover)
Clips — 4
00 WGTDT-37 tourists love America - England plus Scotland fans on US friendliness and Bucees - FOX
A Scottish fan is thrilled stuffing American goods into a suitcase to fly home from Buc-ee's ('this is fun'); the anchor frames World Cup fans going viral over unique US experiences; payoff is England fan Sammy Bell: 'how friendly everyone is, how welcoming everyone is... everyone's just been so nice.' (vyRh1YPneAs)
01 WGTDT-37 tourists love America - Sammy Bell discovers ranch only in the US take it home - FOX
At an Orlando Wing Stop on Fox's Sunday Briefing, England fan Sammy Bell picks ranch for her hot-honey wings and is stunned the UK doesn't serve it — 'I think we only get it here in the US'; after the on-air taste test: 'a top attraction in the United States is ranch dressing... I want to take this home with me.'
02 WGTDT-37 tourists love America - brisket over croissant Costco Waymo way more - X montage
A lighter fan chorus (French voices prominent): a visitor would trade croissants for Texas brisket ('better than any moment of my life, and I am married with two kids'), Americans have 'hearts of gold,' 'Costco is bigger than my village,' and the payoff Waymo pun — 'it is because America has way more than the rest of the world.' (src 2066884378613965089; ~27s music-only stretch excised, 105.9s)
03 WGTDT-37 tourists love America - in awe everything big all glory to God - X montage
Foreign WC fans marvel at American scale, safety and abundance — 'I'm in awe of the United States of America,' a quesadilla 'the size of my head,' a South African woman stunned she can walk a park alone unharassed, 'everything's just big, ginormous, extra large,' Bible verses on the cup; payoff: 'you're so lucky to live here... God bless America... All glory goes to God for preserving this wonderful country.' (src 2066867358837146111)