After Party with Emily Jashinsky

Episode Title: Kash Patel Parties with Olympic Winners, Newsom Plays Dumb, and Peter Attia's Epstein Fallout
Date: February 24, 2026
Guests: Rachel Bovard (Conservative Partnership Institute), Inez Stepman (Independent Women’s Forum)

Overview

This episode of After Party dives into a whirlwind of high-profile news and pop culture debates, led by host Emily Jashinsky with recurring guests Rachel Bovard and Inez Stepman. Discussions range from the Peter Attia-Jeffrey Epstein email controversy, the political drama over the federal SAVE Act (voter ID legislation), and Gavin Newsom’s attempts at relatability, to viral moments like Kash Patel’s Olympic beer-chugging, a racially charged moment at the BAFTAs, and viral internet personalities. The episode’s tone is sharp, witty, sometimes irreverent, and always deeply political—offering both pointed analysis and lively banter.

Table of Contents

1. Peter Attia’s Epstein Fallout (01:07–13:56)
2. The SAVE Act and the Senate Filibuster (15:06–29:43)
3. Gavin Newsom’s Relatability Gaffe (31:50–42:11)
4. Katie Porter’s “Buzzfeed” Politics and Swearing for Relatability (42:58–49:53)
5. Kash Patel, Beer, and Olympic Glory: Cringe or Pure Americana? (49:53–53:46)
6. BAFTA Tourette’s Outburst: Outrage and Race Discourse (56:36–65:30)
7. Bonnie Blue’s Viral Pregnancy—Fleeting Celebrity and Motherhood Trends (67:22–70:39)
8. Puerto Vallarta in Flames: Cartels, Border Policy, and Biden’s Immigration Fallout (73:34–end)

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1. Peter Attia’s Epstein Fallout

[01:07–13:56]

• Context: Peter Attia, famed doctor and longevity author, resigns from CBS News after the release of Epstein files shows him emailing Jeffrey Epstein. Bari Weiss reportedly pushed for Attia to stay, seeing the outcry as “cancel culture.”
• Key Discussion:
  • Attia’s emails described as embarrassing (“pussy” jokes, social plans), but not criminal.
  • Attia admitted past moral failings and misrepresented his whereabouts to family during those years.
  • Emily’s take:

    "If you have a guy palling around with Jeffrey Epstein, is that helpful? Probably not. ...The network has to maintain its trust with its viewers." (09:30)

  • The hosts weigh whether public suspicion is justified, but agree there’s no evidence of deeper wrongdoing.
  • Emily notes this is a uniquely “challenging cancel culture set of circumstances” because it blends #MeToo, Epstein, media, and medicine.

Notable Moment:

• Emily on Attia’s fit for the CBS role:

  “Was he qualified to have that position? Was it helpful to the network? Absolutely. But does this undermine his credibility as a doctor, as a longevity expert? No, it doesn’t.” (10:30)

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2. The SAVE Act and the Senate Filibuster

[15:06–29:43]

• Context: The Republican-driven SAVE Act seeks to federalize voter ID laws, sparking outrage from Democrats and some media who compare it to Jim Crow.
• Key Discussion Points:
  • Gavin Newsom and Jamelle Bouie (NYT) call the bill a form of “Jim Crow 2.0,” claiming birth certificate requirements disproportionately disenfranchise minorities.
  • Rachel Bovard passionately debunks this: most adults need birth certificates for basic bureaucratic functions anyway; the claim is patronizing, especially towards women and minorities.

    "I would take issue with Gavin Newsom's characterization that people are too stupid, women in particular, to get their birth certificate." – Rachel (19:09)

  • Senate process: Rachel clarifies the misunderstood “talking filibuster” tactic, noting its historical use and that it doesn’t destroy existing Senate rules.

    "The reason that people don't use [the talking filibuster] very often is there's two reasons. One, it's hard, and two, senators don't like working." – Rachel (21:05)

  • Insights into “failure theater”—Rachel and Inez argue that exposing how unwilling Congress is to take real action is threatening to the establishment.

    "...the minute you pull back the curtain on procedure...they get irate." – Rachel (22:28)

• Inez’s Legal Analysis:
  • Acknowledges federal involvement in elections isn’t new and critiques apocalyptic Jim Crow comparisons.

    "I want you to honestly tell me with a straight face that those kinds of questions are comparable to a request to prove who you are. That is not what those were." – Inez (27:33)

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3. Gavin Newsom’s Relatability Gaffe

[31:50–42:11]

• Context: Newsom, at a book event in Atlanta, claims he scored a 960 on his SATs and can’t read speeches, positioning himself as “just like you.”
• Reaction:
  • Nicki Minaj tweets, "His way of bonding with black people is to tell them how stupid he is and that he can't read."
  • Chris Rufo argues Newsom’s attempts are less about race and more about socio-economic relatability, calling Newsom a “chameleon.”

    “He just sort of takes on, like, this, again, the... skin of whoever he's with, and he tries to reflect it back... It's almost, like, deeply sociopathic in some way.” – Rachel (34:07)

  • The hosts contrast this “forced relatability” with Trump’s authenticity:

    “I love the poorly educated… People know that these politicians are, quote, unquote, 'not like us.'” – Inez (37:14)

  • Both panelists agree Newsom’s strategy feels false and pandering, but Rachel cautions not to underestimate his media savvy.

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4. Katie Porter’s “Buzzfeed” Politics and Swearing for Relatability

[42:58–49:53]

• Context: Katie Porter brings out a whiteboard with “Trump” written on it at the CA Democratic Convention. Her speech and persona mocked as “stuck in amber” from 2017-era politics.
• Analysis:
  • Panel criticizes politicians who use swearing and pop feminism to perform authenticity.

    “They don't do anything, but then they tweet, like swears, and they're like, 'Look how much I care. I'm authentic. I'm you. I can swear in my tweets.'” – Rachel (45:15)

  • Inez draws from John McWhorter’s linguistic analysis to explain how “obscene” language has shifted in meaning—swearing is now performative, not truly rebellious.

    “Now, the things that are actually obscene are definitely having to do with identity... it's not really rebellious. It's not really shocking.” – Inez (49:18)

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5. Kash Patel, Beer, and Olympic Glory: Cringe or Pure Americana?

[49:53–53:46]

• Context: Kash Patel, former government official, goes viral for chugging beer and celebrating with the USA men’s hockey team in Milan.
• Debate:
  • Emily is ambivalent, calling the display “a little cringe.” Rachel and Inez defend Patel as genuinely being “a bro” and call the moment “pure Americana,” emphasizing that it’s not a calculated social media stunt.

    “If he had inserted himself in this, it was... he's not trying to flex on people and... insert himself as the main character.” – Rachel (51:54) “He just seems like a bro. This is actually not inauthentic from him, I don't think… I thought it was a nice moment, a nice moment of American glory, assimilation, and joy. Too few moments these days for me to criticize this.” – Inez (52:44)

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6. BAFTA Tourette’s Outburst: Outrage and Race Discourse

[56:36–65:30]

• Context: During the BAFTA awards, a man with Tourette’s shouted a racial slur during a live broadcast, sparking a controversy that overshadowed the event’s intended celebration of disability awareness.
• Key Reactions:
  • Emily: “The entire point of the movie is about people who struggle with this disease... and so this idea that this was intentional racial slight... the whole thing is so sad.”
  • Rachel: “You've just celebrated this story. But then when confronted with that reality in its full messiness in your face... it's like, 'How I cannot.' It's an outrage.”
  • Inez calls out the magical thinking around the N-word:

    “It has gone from an understandable reaction to an ugly word... to like it literally being an, a, a curse, an incantation that by mere listening to it... you're going to burst into flames. Okay, nobody is going to burst into flames. It's fine. The guy has a disease. Awkward. Move on.” (62:36)

• Consensus: All agree that the pendulum has swung too far towards outrage culture and that real empathy is lost in the process.

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7. Bonnie Blue’s Viral Pregnancy—Fleeting Celebrity and Motherhood Trends

[67:22–70:39]

• Context: Viral female adult star Bonnie Blue claims to be pregnant after having unprotected sex with 400 men in one day, documenting the process online for attention.
• Commentary:
  • Emily and Inez note that the blurring of sex, motherhood, and internet fame has grown extreme:

    “The friction between sex and procreation has just been so removed... we have a totally different approach to sex and motherhood.” – Emily (67:41) “It's all for clicks... It is always chasing attention and clicks and... the whole thing really repulses me.” – Inez (69:24)

  • Inez asserts, “It's not good for the child. Children need their mothers and their fathers under the same roof. Every other arrangement is inferior by every study and by common sense to that arrangement.” (70:30)

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8. Puerto Vallarta in Flames: Cartels, Border Policy, and Biden’s Immigration Fallout

[73:34–end]

• Context: Violent cartel battle erupts after the killing of the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist town. Chaos is described: burning cars, stranded tourists, and heavy crossfire.
• Analysis:
  • Emily links the surge in cartel power to Biden-era border policies and increased cartel profits from human smuggling.

    “Every single person who crosses has paid the cartel... Cartels are now almost parallel institutions to the government in some cases... It was a disaster, chaotic. Every, almost everyone has rejected the Biden border policy.” (74:30+)

• Key Stats:
  • $32M a week in one Texas border stretch; $20B+ annual border smuggling economy estimated in 2022, much of it profit for cartels.
• Message: The media and policymakers failed to connect the massive border surge, cartel violence, and US immigration policy—and the consequences are now inescapable.

Notable Quotes

• Rachel Bovard (on the Senate):

  “The minute you sort of pull back the curtain on procedure... they get irate.” (22:28)

• Inez Stepman (on language):

  “It's no longer truly obscene. It's a very surface level kind of faux transgression that isn't actually a transgression.” (49:23)

• Emily Jashinsky (on Newsom):

  “It's Gavin Newsom in his essence, which is chameleon-like, right?... It creeps me out every time.” (34:07)

• Inez Stepman (on BAFTA/words):

  “The fact that we've turned it into... pre-civilizational tribes that... have some taboo around the name of God or something and Voldemort. It's just a word, people.” (61:18)

Timestamps for Major Topics

• Peter Attia/Epstein: 01:07–13:56
• SAVE Act/Filibuster: 15:06–29:43
• Newsom Gaffe: 31:50–42:11
• Porter/Buzzfeed Politics: 42:58–49:53
• Kash Patel/Olympic Beers: 49:53–53:46
• BAFTA Tourette’s Outburst: 56:36–65:30
• Bonnie Blue: 67:22–70:39
• Puerto Vallarta/Border Policy: 73:34–end

Tone:
Conversational, irreverent, and critical—mixing deep policy analysis with sardonic humor, pop culture savvy, and insider takes on politics and media.

Ideal For:
Listeners seeking a no-nonsense, big-picture tour through the intersection of news, controversy, media hypocrisy, and internet culture.