After Party with Emily Jashinsky (MK Media):

"Crockett's Slim Senate Chances, Trump vs MTG and CBS, and Charlie Kirk's Singular Role"

Guest: Mark Halperin
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this spirited episode, Emily Jashinsky (standing in for Megyn Kelly, but following the show's usual style) is joined by veteran political analyst Mark Halperin for a wide-ranging conversation on the landscape of U.S. politics heading into the 2026 cycle. Their “big picture” chat covers the high-stakes Texas Senate race, the state of Democratic infighting, Charlie Kirk’s assassination and its ripple effect, late-night TV’s culture war, the shifting role of media, and the mounting fracture lines in both parties—plus viral moments and culture war touchstones stirring intense reactions.

Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Mark Halperin at the Gym, Cubs Gear & Murakami Collab

• MK Media’s signature casual tone is set: Halperin appears from the gym, flaunting a Murakami-Cubs fashion "mashup."
  • [03:44] Mark: "It's a Japanese artist, very famous Japanese artist… Little Murakami Cubs. Mashup."
  • Lighthearted banter about overbuying artist-sports merchandise.

2. Jasmine Crockett’s Texas Senate Run: Real Threat or Sideshow?

Crockett’s Campaign Launch Scrutinized

• Jashinsky plays audio from Crockett's stylized announcement video and critiques the “low IQ” attacks circulating from the opposition.
  • [05:55] Mark: “First of all… you were not able to do that video justice. Because it's bizarre. Emily, a Democrat has not won a statewide office in Texas for over a quarter century. And if you're asking me if Jasmine Crockett will be the Democrat who breaks that streak, the answer is no...”
• Why Crockett isn’t the “break-the-streak” candidate:
  • Her profile is “very liberal” and “very undisciplined.”
  • Reference to her infamous Epstein campaign donation gaffe.
  • Republicans would be delighted to run against her; GOP victory seen as all but assured unless AG Ken Paxton is the GOP nominee.

Democratic Primary More Interesting Than General

• Jashinsky and Halperin agree the Democratic primary is more compelling than the general due to contrasting figures:

  • Crockett (anti-norms, Jennifer Welch-style candidate)
  • James Talarico (“restore the norms,” faith-driven progressive)
    • [11:03] Talarico: “My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and he told me… we follow a barefoot rabbi… My church always emphasized our love for our neighbors...”

• Halperin on Talarico’s hype:

  • [12:05] Mark: “If you take him on paper, he’s a very compelling figure… But I just think his capacity to break the Democrats 30-year losing streak in Texas… it’s not quite there.”

• Prediction: Neither Crockett nor Talarico seems poised to break Texas’s deep-red streak. The party’s establishment wants someone different, but the field lacks a clear winner.

3. Jennifer Welch, Charlie Kirk & Erika Kirk: The Podcast & Culture War Ecosystem

NYT Profiles Welch—"Uncritical" Treatment?

• Jashinsky critiques the New York Times for a soft profile on Jennifer Welch, host of "I've Had It."
  • [17:39] Mark: “I don’t get that lady… she’s a big potty mouth. And the New York Times wants politics to be more genteel… but this lady is second to none in saying things… mean spirited and gross.”
• Welch attacks Charlie Kirk’s widow as a "grifter," echoing Trump-style tactics.
• Takeaway: Welch’s popularity seen as evidence that Democrats are in a "Tea Party moment"—angry, anti-establishment, and mirroring (or parodying) Trump’s style.

Charlie Kirk’s Death—Aftershocks on the Right

• Tim Pool calls Kirk’s assassination "maybe the most effective political assassination in our history."

  • [21:11] Tim Pool: “Turning Point USA has become the perpetrator of the crime against themselves… With Charlie Kirk's death... we are now seeing disarray...”

• Halperin: Kirk was “the glue”—without him, infighting has intensified:

  • [23:52] Mark: “Charlie was a genius and he was glue. And now you see all of these fights of Laura Loomer and Tucker and Bannon… Candace, right… When Charlie was alive... the contentiousness... was tamped down.”

• Security fears are real: Some public figures are leaving offices out of concern for their safety.

4. Trump, Late-Night TV, and Media Moguls: Kimmel, CBS & Paramount

Kimmel’s Extended Contract & the Culture Wars

• [26:14] Jashinsky notes Kimmel’s extension was inked before his controversial comments on Kirk’s assassination.
• Networks keep him for financial reasons despite ratings decline; contrast with Colbert, whose show reportedly loses money.
  • [27:38] Mark: “Kimmel makes money. So again, Hollywood cares about very little, but one thing they care about is money.”

Trump’s War on CBS & Paramount

• Trump attacks "60 Minutes" for a sympathetic profile of Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG), and questions if new CBS ownership is any better.

  • [28:54] Jashinsky: “He thinks at this point CBS may actually be worse than before the Ellison ownership transfer.”
  • [29:49] Mark: “He doesn't like negative coverage and he doesn't understand why people who like him give him negative coverage sometimes.”

• Trump positioning himself as power-broker in media mergers.

  • [30:55] Mark: “It’s a story about Hollywood brands... but it's also a big political story. How many times do you see Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren potentially on the same side?”

• Supreme Court weighs greater presidential power over regulatory agencies; a decision could fuel Trump’s leverage in future media deals.

  • [33:48] Mark: “…it will give the President quite a bit of power to remake these agencies…”

5. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump Fallout, and the Limits of MAGA Power

MTG’s “Trader Brown” Feud with Trump On-Air

• Jashinsky airs Greene’s tense 60 Minutes clash with Leslie Stahl.
  • [37:17] MTG: “I don't insult people. You do in the way you question. And you are. You're accusing me right now.”
• Halperin dismisses Stahl as out-of-touch, a “classic liberal television correspondent masquerading as an objective journalist.”

MTG’s Future: Burned Bridges

• After split from Trump, Greene’s fortunes look grim.

  • [47:14] Mark: “I think she's burned them again. I think she could run an outstanding CrossFit outlet in the right city in Georgia. But I just, I'm skeptical that she's going to have the capacity without the support of the president...”

• Wider warning to MAGA:

  • [46:24] Mark: “…if you cross the president, it could cost you your job... Your power, if you're a MAGA Republican, emanates from His Majesty…”

6. Republican Turmoil—Retirements, Speaker Johnson Under Fire

• Multiple GOP congresswomen (Mace, Stefanik, MTG) go after Speaker Mike Johnson; wave of potential retirements sign of party demoralization.
  • [48:19] Mark: “The thought of coming back to being in the minority rather than go and spend time with grandkids or getting one last burst of private sector activity… the Mismatch in terms of what's appealing and what's not is pretty clear.”

7. Tish Hyman, Ro Khanna, and the Trans Culture War

Viral Confrontation Adds to Democrat Headaches

• Jashinsky highlights Tish Hyman’s emotional confrontation of Rep. Ro Khanna on trans athletes/locker room policy.
  • Hyman: “Stop making excuses for grown men going to women's restrooms… and I need you to say it's not okay for men to be in a women's locker room.”
• Jashinsky’s analysis: The trans issue is becoming a litmus test for candidate credibility among swing voters; Democrats struggle to have "moral clarity."
  • [61:46] “I just think that interaction with Tish Hyman… where Tish Hyman’s, like, bubbling over the top, boiling over with anger… I think that really resonates, and I think it’s better for the country to be honest if Democrats from Roe to James Talarico to Seth Moulton and Gavin Newsom can just come down with some moral clarity and say men cannot become biological, literal women..."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [05:55] Mark Halperin: "If you're asking me if Jasmine Crockett will be the Democrat who breaks that streak, the answer is no."
• [11:03] James Talarico: “That barefoot rabbi gave us two commandments: love God and love neighbor…”
• [12:05] Mark Halperin: “He can talk the owls down from the trees and looks pretty and seems to combine steel and softness.”
• [23:52] Mark Halperin: “Charlie was a genius and he was glue. And now you see all of these fights… Charlie’s not here to keep the peace… the correlation seems pretty exact.”
• [27:38] Mark Halperin: “Kimmel makes money. So again, Hollywood cares about very little, but one thing they care about is money.”
• [46:24] Mark Halperin: “If you cross the president, it could cost you your job… Your power, if you’re a MAGA Republican, emanates from His Majesty.”
• [61:46] Emily Jashinsky: “…when they force Democrats to confront [the trans issue]… I think it does really become a litmus test for a lot of swing voters because it looks like people are lying…”

Other Memorable Moments

• Light, meta-media banter: Halperin’s gym attire and Murakami gear, Jashinsky’s “no makeup, baseball cap” Monday.
• Chummy podcast “shoutouts” to viewers, wedding anecdotes, and live chat engagement.
• Playful audience Q&A: Jashinsky fields chat questions about her torn (expensive) hat; speculation about Tish Hyman’s political future.

Summary Takeaways

• The 2026 Texas Senate race is emblematic of a wider Democratic Party identity crisis.
• The Republican side is likely to stay with John Cornyn, unless intra-party drama intervenes.
• Charlie Kirk’s death has left the MAGA movement fractured, sparking infighting and demoralization.
• Late-night TV continues to be both a culture war battlefield and a business first, with networks prioritizing profit (Kimmel) over controversy.
• Trump’s influence remains absolute within his movement—those who cross him, even original loyalists like MTG, have little future in populist GOP politics.
• Democrats’ struggle to find coherent language on trans and other culture war issues risks alienating broad swaths of voters, especially in close races. Viral, emotional moments—like Tish Hyman’s—crystallize these dynamics.
• Both parties face infighting and fatigue; the cycle ahead promises volatility, realignment, and more media spectacle.