After Party with Emily Jashinsky

Episode: "Washington Post's Fake 'Murder', and Trump's Deportations 'Soft Touch,' with Tom Bevan, Plus Billie Eilish's Stolen Land Karma"
Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Emily Jashinsky
Guest: Tom Bevan, Co-founder and President of RealClearPolitics

Overview

Emily Jashinsky welcomes Tom Bevan to analyze the week’s biggest stories in news and pop culture. The episode covers the Washington Post’s dramatic layoffs and ensuing media meltdown, a sharp look at Billie Eilish's indigenous land controversy, political debates over voting legislation, Donald Trump’s shifting approach to ICE enforcement, insightful analysis on polling and public opinion, and a takedown of media bias in White House and New York Times coverage.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Billie Eilish and “Stolen Land” Irony (05:53–11:50)

• Emily opens with Billie Eilish’s Grammy speech on "no person is illegal on stolen land" (06:15).
• Tongva tribe responds, affirming Eilish’s LA mansion sits on their ancestral land, and challenges her to put her sentiments into action.
• Emily’s take: Wants Tongva tribe to approach Eilish “until we see Billie Eilish's security dragging the Tongva people off the property.” (07:20)
  • Points out the contradictions in progressive rhetoric about land and borders.
  • Highlights indigenous history and ongoing debates about legitimacy of settler claims.

Notable Quote:
“It is about damn time somebody who agrees with Billie Eilish puts her formulation to its logical conclusion and says, ‘Alright, this land is stolen...give us your house.’”
—Emily, (07:32)

• Reflects on anti-ICE protests and border-related chants ("The border walls have got to go." – Tom, 08:44).
• Emily contextualizes: Such positions on borders reveal contradictions in broader political movements when pressed to their logical limits.

2. The Washington Post Layoffs “Murder” Saga (13:32–43:07)

Washington Post in Crisis (13:32–18:44)

• Tom Bevan jokes about offering “$50 million” to buy The Washington Post, down from Bezos’ $250 million purchase.
• Laments journalists’ outrage at layoffs, expecting "civic duty" from Bezos to indefinitely subsidize their jobs.

Notable Quote:
“The economics of this business are tough. They are immutable...at the end of the day, the economics will catch up to you.”
—Tom Bevan, (15:04)

• Bevan proposes putting journalist Carl Cannon in charge: “He could whip that place into shape and restore it to its former greatness just through...common sense and adherence to sort of the traditional journalistic principles.” (16:00)

Media Reaction & Hypocrisy (18:44–28:33)

• Emily and Tom highlight journalists' disproportionate response to media layoffs vs. those in other industries.
• Critique headlines like “The Murder of the Washington Post,” mocking the hyperbolic language (24:13–26:13).
  • Reno 911 clip played for comic relief: “Terry, you were murdered, okay? You obviously weren’t murdered because you’re alive…” (25:02)
• Tom: “No other business would be expected...to keep losing $100 million a year because I need a job and I want my cushy little corner office. It's absurd.” (20:50)
• Both agree that decades of editorial drift and resistance to necessary change—not recent management—are to blame for the layoffs.

Future of the Post & Media Trends (28:33–40:55)

• Discussion of Washington Post's pivot to video and digital strategy, referencing New York Times' similar struggles.
• Criticize siloed, partisan content for eroding trust and audience.
• Aggregators (like RealClearPolitics) avoid paywalled and highly ideological content from mainstream outlets.

Notable Quote:
"The Opinion page had become just a left wing fever swamp...we couldn't use anything from it."
—Tom Bevan, (37:40)

Historical Perspective & Legacy Media (40:55–43:07)

• Emily references past Washington Post figures like Ben Bradley and Sally Quinn to illustrate the illusion of the "golden era" of journalism.
• Highlights the media’s complicated relationship with power and historical controversy.

3. Chuck Schumer, the SAVE Act, and Voter ID (44:47–52:15)

The Political Debate (44:47–49:14)

• Clip of Chuck Schumer labeling the SAVE Act (which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote) “Jim Crow 2.0” (45:13).
• CNN’s Harry Enten fact-checks the narrative: wide, bipartisan support for voter ID, including majorities of minority groups (46:26–47:08).

Notable Quote:
“The numbers are the numbers and good for Harry to do a segment...Democrats will never vote for this. They will always...call it voter suppression and call it Jim Crow 2.0, as ridiculous as that may be.”
—Tom Bevan, (47:21)

• Emily and Tom agree claims of voter suppression are contradicted by public opinion and turnout data; Democrats persist for ideological and electoral strategy reasons.

4. Trump’s Immigration Reset: The Minneapolis ICE Saga (52:15–59:24)

Policy Recalibration (52:15–56:09)

• Tom Homan announces withdrawal of 700 ICE agents from Minnesota (52:15).
• Trump, in leaked interview, says they’re using a “softer touch” but insists “you still have to be tough. These are criminals we're dealing with.” (53:04)
• Tom Bevan: Trump recalibrated after negative PR around high-profile killings, aiming for better local cooperation and public messaging.
• Emphasizes how Democrats conflate enforcement on criminals vs. non-criminal illegals, affecting polls and public support.

Notable Quote:
“All we want is for cooperation to be able to get the bad guys who are here illegally from the jails. And if we’re able to do that, we don’t have to go out on the streets.”
—Tom Bevan, (54:20)

Polling Analysis (56:09–59:24)

• Trump’s immigration approval slips but remains above water on core enforcement.
• Public supports deporting criminal offenders, less so for non-criminal undocumented immigrants.
• Emily and Tom warn that chaos from both overzealous enforcement and out-of-control protestors threatens to backfire with “normies and independents.”

5. State of the 2026 Midterms & Congressional Polls (59:24–63:19)

• Emily shares RealClearPolitics averages: Democrats’ generic ballot lead has grown from 1.5% to 5% but still trails the “blue wave” of 2018 (59:24–60:40).
• Tom Bevan: Dems are positioned to take the House if the margin holds, but with slim majorities, shifts are possible; Senate landscape remains tougher for Dems (60:40–63:19).

Notable Quote:
“Democrats usually...underperform their generic ballot numbers...but when you get to three points and beyond, Democrats definitely have an advantage.”
—Tom Bevan, (60:40)

6. Kamala Harris’ Cryptic “Tomorrow” Post (63:19–68:08)

• Kamala Harris HQ posts a mysterious “Tomorrow” teaser, sparking 2028 presidential speculation.
• Both joke about politicians needing a podcast to launch serious runs (64:34).
• Despite leading early Dem polls, Harris elicits little visible grassroots excitement; skepticism persists about her ability to win a contested primary.

Notable Quote:
“She had been…her favorability ratings had been so low, and…she just struggled. Just struggled. Remember her press team kept trying to do these resets...she could never shake this idea that she was just not up to the job.”
—Tom Bevan, (66:57)

7. Media Bias: The New York Times and White House “Doctored Photo” Controversy (71:52–end)

• Emily critiques a New York Times article about an activist arrested in an anti-ICE church protest, highlighting the uncritical and sympathetic framing extended by the White House correspondent.
• Slams both the inappropriate use of AI imagery by the White House and the Times’ melodramatic comparisons to slavery and historical racism.
• Argues such coverage enables the left’s blind spots and erodes public trust in media objectivity.

Notable Quote:
“When the New York Times is, is cheering you on all the way and, and you know, laundering your claims...you don’t have an incentive to be a more persuadable force for your own movement.”
—Emily, (after 75:00)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Emily on Billie Eilish:
  "It is about damn time somebody who agrees with Billie Eilish puts her formulation to its logical conclusion and says, ‘Alright, this land is stolen...give us your house.’" (07:32)

• Tom on the post-layoffs media reaction:
  "No other business would be expected...to keep losing $100 million a year because I need a job and I want my cushy little corner office. It's absurd." (20:50)

• Emily on ‘The Murder of the Washington Post’:
  "If we say that cutting a third of the staff at this dying newspaper...is tantamount to a murder...the idea of blaming Bezos and Will Lewis is laughable." (25:13–26:13)

• Tom on the ideological drift of mainstream media:
  "The Opinion page had become just a left wing fever swamp...we couldn't use anything from it." (37:40)

• Harry Enten (quoted via Tom) on Voter ID:
  "The American people are with Nicki Minaj, whether they are Republican or even if they are Democrats...Voter ID is not controversial in this country." (46:26–47:08)

• Tom on Democratic strategy:
  "This is one of those issues...Democrats will never vote for it. They will always...call it voter suppression and call it Jim Crow 2.0, as ridiculous as that may be." (47:21)

• Emily on protestor media coverage:
  "When the New York Times is...laundering your claims...you don’t have an incentive to be a more persuadable force for your own movement." (near the end)

Episode Flow & Timestamps for Key Segments

• Billie Eilish stolen land controversy: 05:53–11:50
• Washington Post layoffs and reaction: 13:32–43:07
• Voter ID/SAVE Act debate: 44:47–52:15
• Trump/ICE recalibration: 52:15–59:24
• Congressional polling and midterm outlook: 59:24–63:19
• Kamala Harris 2028 speculation: 63:19–68:08
• NYT/White House “doctored photo” and media bias: 71:52–end

Tone & Style

The conversation is frank, irreverent, and witty—heavily critical of mainstream media groupthink, left-leaning ideological echo chambers, and performative outrage. Emily and Tom employ a conversational, sharp-tongued analysis, mixing humor and real industry experience.

For anyone who missed it: this episode is a dense, humorous, and piercing look at how media, politics, and pop culture collide in early 2026—blending sharp critique, industry realism, and plenty of memorable zingers.