10 Minute Drill (Dec 4, 2025)

Host: Matt Whitlock
Episode: Midterm lessons from the Tennessee special election; A key villain in the Minnesota fraud scandal

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Matt Whitlock presents a rapid-fire, insightful analysis of two major political stories: the recent Tennessee special election and the ongoing Minnesota fraud scandal involving Attorney General Keith Ellison. Whitlock also covers Republican strategies for the 2026 midterms, especially focusing on affordability issues, critiques Democratic priorities, and spotlights a viral moment in a Supreme Court case about pregnancy resource centers. The episode closes with a satirical review of the UN’s approach to climate change and gender.

Key Discussion Points

1. Lessons from the Tennessee Special Election

• Republican Matt Van Epps wins Tennessee's 7th District special election

  • Important signal for House Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms.
  • Van Epps credited military service and team mentality for campaign success.
    • Quote: “The military taught me what it means to be part of a team, to trust the person next to you… That’s the same spirit I’ll take to Washington.” (Van Epps, 00:56)

• Analysis of Candidates and District Dynamics

  • Republican success attributed to strong candidate quality and effective navigation of Trump-era politics.
  • The Democratic candidate, Afton Bain, criticized as a poor fit for the district. Her association with progressives like AOC and Al Gore seen as out of touch.
  • Quote: “Afton was a terrible candidate for Democrats who did not match the electorate they were trying to win. And it also didn’t help that she hated them and hated the place.” (Whitlock, 01:38)
  • The race highlights the ongoing importance of the Trump coalition in rural America.

• Broader Midterm Implications

  • Republicans must avoid complacency and “focus on the issues that people actually care about…make sure…Republicans are actually messaging on wins.” (Whitlock, 02:32)

2. The “Affordability Election” of 2026

• Affordability as a Top Voter Issue

  • Rising living costs — housing, transportation, food, insurance, healthcare, and utilities — dominate voter concerns.
  • Whitlock attributes high costs to Democratic policies under Joe Biden (“Democrats did everything in their power to raise energy supply costs…”) (02:47)

• Republican Policy Response

  • Republicans plan to message around the “big beautiful bill,” especially as people notice larger tax returns in January.
    • Quote: “People are understanding that that had a lot to do with the big beautiful bill and things that Republicans have done.” (Whitlock, 03:34)
  • Detailed breakdown of typical family expenses using data from Qualtrics.
    • 32% on housing, 17% transportation, 12.9% food, etc.
  • Proposed GOP solutions:
    • Deregulation to boost housing supply and lower costs.
    • Highlighting GOP successes in lowering gas prices (“US gas prices sink below $3 per gallon for the first time since May 2021.”) (Whitlock, 04:33)
    • Challenging Democratic regulatory regimes that increase food and utility costs.

Healthcare Affordability and Creative Solutions

• Right to Transparency & Patient Choice

  • The healthcare system critique: massive price variations for the same treatments due to lack of transparency.
    • Quote: “The same aspirin costs 4 cents at Walmart and $82 in a hospital 2 miles away because patients shop blind.” (Tim Sheehy via Whitlock, 05:44)
  • Call for hospitals to post real prices upfront, “as gas stations do”.

• GOP Legislative Ideas

  • Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) proposes redirecting Obamacare subsidies from insurance companies to patients, boosting Health Savings Accounts and enabling patient-consumer choice.
    • Quote: “We want to take that money we’ve been given to insurance companies and instead we want to give it to patients, give it to consumers...” (Marshall, 06:49)
    • Quote: “Our price tags bill would save Americans a trillion dollars a year.” (Marshall, 07:46)
  • Emphasis on creativity to address voter frustration around healthcare costs.

3. Minnesota Fraud Scandal: Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Role

• Background:

  • Members of Minnesota’s Somali community ran scam “Feed the Hungry” and autism programs, defrauding taxpayers out of over $1 billion, with some funds allegedly supporting terrorism.
  • Previous episodes covered Governor Tim Walz; this episode spotlights Attorney General Keith Ellison.

• Ellison’s Ties to the Scandal:

  • Ellison met with fraud perpetrators before they were charged, accepted donations, and was allegedly involved in efforts to deter investigations.
    • Quote: “Keith Ellison met with the culprits behind the $240 million Feeding Our Future Minnesota fraud scheme before they were charged. And then he and his son took donations from them amid promises to deter the investigation.” (Whitlock, 09:33)
  • Audio from meetings reveals Ellison’s concern for the perpetrators rather than the fraud itself.
    • Key exchange:
      • Ellison: “I’m very concerned about it. I don’t run the agencies.” (10:14)
      • Whitlock: “He’s concerned about the investigation into the fraudsters.” (10:19)
  • Emphasis on a potential quid pro quo: campaign contributions offered in return for political cover.

4. Supreme Court Spotlight: First Choice Women's Resource Center vs. Platkin

• Case Focus:

  • Scrutiny of New Jersey AG’s efforts to investigate and harass pro-life pregnancy centers, allegedly on the pretext of donor complaints.

• Critical Exchange:

  • Justice Thomas presses the AG’s office for evidence of fraud or complaints against First Choice.
    • Quote:
      • Justice Thomas: “Did you have complaints that formed the basis of your concern about the fundraising activities here?”
      • AG Rep: “We certainly had complaints. About crisis pregnancy centers?”
      • Justice Thomas: “No, about this crisis pregnancy center.”
      • AG Rep: “So, I think we’ve been clear from the outset that we haven’t had complaints about this specific — ”
      • Justice Thomas: “So you had no basis to think that they were deceiving any of their contributors? So you had no complainants?”
      • AG Rep: “We had no complaints.” (12:06–12:34)

• Host’s Commentary:

  • Frames the investigation as a “classic fishing expedition” and attacks Democratic “harassment” of non-abortion pregnancy services.

5. “You Can’t Make It Up”: UN and Climate Change Gender Claims

• Satirical Segment:
  • Whitlock lampoons a recent UN Environment Program claim that “climate change is not gender neutral.”
    • Quote: “How do you make the argument that somehow, for example, that bad weather, a tornado in Kansas is somehow skipping past the boys night at Buffalo Wild Wings to hit the Nordstrom and impact women differently? This is all made up.” (Whitlock, 13:12)
  • Criticism that climate change has become a catch-all justification for every progressive policy goal.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Candidate quality matters. Matt Vaneps was a very, very good candidate, a good bio, and he navigated working with President Trump very effectively…” (Whitlock, 01:38)
• “Republicans were elected to fix the problems of Joe Biden and voters are impatient.” (Whitlock, 03:11)
• “Force hospitals to post real prices up front as gas stations do, turn patients into consumers and watch those costs plummet.” (Tim Sheehy via Whitlock, 05:55)
• “A group met with Attorney General Keith Ellison to complain about the Education Department refusing to approve their meal claims… [Ellison:] I’m very concerned about it. I don’t run the agencies.” (10:07–10:19)
• “So you had no complaints. But…this is a classic fishing expedition. Oh, you almost had it. You gotta be quicker than that.” (Justice Thomas and Whitlock, 12:34–12:49)
• “When you use politics like a Swiss Army knife…climate change is their vehicle to attack things like…gender inequality, racial inequality, every political…wish list item they have, it loses all meaning.” (Whitlock, 13:35)

Key Timestamps

• 00:36-02:45 — Tennessee Special Election: Van Epps’ win and Republican takeaways
• 02:45-05:33 — Affordability focus for GOP, policy breakdowns (housing, food, energy, etc.)
• 05:33-08:25 — Health care: price transparency and GOP innovation
• 08:25-11:30 — Minnesota fraud scandal: AG Ellison’s involvement and implications
• 11:30-12:49 — Supreme Court: First Choice Women’s Resource Center case, NJ AG challenged by Justice Thomas
• 13:12-end — Satire: UN Environment Program and gendered climate change claims

Tone and Style

• Fast-paced, conversational, and wry.
• Mixes sharp political critique with humor and memorable soundbites.
• Focused on actionable GOP messaging and policy contrasts with Democrats.

This concise, engaging episode gives listeners a roadmap of the GOP’s midterm focus, exposes emerging Democratic scandals, and closes with humor at the expense of global bureaucracies—ideal for anyone needing political updates without the spin.