Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode: Saagar Destroys Pete Hegseth, Dems Push Historically Old Sen Candidate, Pakistan Massacres Protesters, Bari Weiss Debunked
Release Date: October 15, 2025
Hosts: Krystal Ball, Saagar Enjeti, Ryan Grim
Guest Contributor: Olivia Rheingold

Overview

This episode of Breaking Points tackles four major stories with the podcast’s signature blend of anti-establishment critique and lively cross-partisan debate. The hosts lead off with a deep-dive into controversial media restrictions at the Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighting the suppression of honest journalism. The conversation then pivots to the Democratic Party’s embrace of Janet Mills, potentially the oldest first-term senator, and what that says about US political leadership and populism. The third segment uncovers a shocking, underreported massacre of protesters in Pakistan, with context about the country’s tangled politics and military control. Finally, an investigative segment exposes the flaws in Bari Weiss’s Free Press debunking of Gaza famine coverage.

1. Pentagon Media Crackdown and Saagar vs. Pete Hegseth

Starts at [02:08]

Main Points & Insights

• New Restrictions for Pentagon Press:

  • Pete Hegseth, now at the Pentagon, and his personal lawyer (who simultaneously sues and works for the Pentagon), institute a mandatory 21-page document for journalists, effectively clamping down on coverage.
    • New requirements: no “free roaming” in the building, visible badges, and a ban on “soliciting criminal acts” (i.e., soliciting leaks or even routine clarifications).
    • Saagar, a former Pentagon correspondent, exposes these claims as disingenuous—detailing existing, already strict press security practices.

• Press Access and Accountability:

  • Saagar recounts wearing visible credentials at all times and being strictly barred from classified areas.
    • [05:32] Saagar: “That’s my old badge, which I had to wear around my neck with one of my little lanyards. Everywhere that I went.”
  • “Soliciting classified information” redefined to attack good journalism:
    • [07:16] Saagar: “Soliciting, encouraging people to leak is part of the job. ... And if you have it, send it over. We’d love to see it.”
    • Both hosts discuss the role of background sourcing and off-record briefings in real Pentagon coverage, noting the new policy criminalizes standard journalistic practice.

• Broader Implications:

  • The new restrictions result in most outlets, including Fox News, refusing to sign and essentially vacating the Pentagon press corps ([11:13]).
  • Historic context: First time since WWII (1943) nearly all independent journalists are barred from the Pentagon.

• First Amendment Discussion:

  • Ryan points out that even classified leaks aren’t clearly criminal for journalists under First Amendment law and shares a Daniel Ellsberg anecdote ([12:25]).
  • Saagar recounts intimidation and open hostility he faced as a young reporter for not accepting official narratives ([13:05]).

• Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

  • [13:05] Saagar: "He called me a shit-stirring fuckface. This was a full bird colonel, which at the time—I was like 24. I was scared."
  • [15:28] Saagar challenges Pentagon press officials to sign affidavits they’ve never leaked, offering $1,000: "Joel, I will pay you $1,000 if you can sign a sworn affidavit saying that you’ve never leaked information...in your job, including in your current role."
  • [19:28] Ryan: "Transparency is a sign of strength. And this tin-pot stuff is a sign of weakness."

2. The Oldest Democrat: Janet Mills’ Senate Run in Maine

Starts at [22:22]

Key Discussion Points

• Janet Mills Enters Maine Senate Race:

  • Current Maine Governor Janet Mills announces run to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, with strong Democratic establishment backing.
  • Mills would be the oldest first-term senator in US history, at 79.
  • Mills addresses her age: ([24:40]) "I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t do everything I can to reverse what’s going on in Washington..."

• Democratic Party Dynamics:

  • Criticism from the progressive left and younger Democrats, who hoped for change after repeated failure from “milquetoast” candidates against Collins.
  • Graham Platner (oysterman, Marine/Army vet, former Blackwater operative) also running in the Democratic primary—praised as an authentic, anti-genocide populist with independent appeal.

• Polling and Establishment Interference:

  • Mills' entry is seen as a signal of establishment doubling down; DSCC forms joint fundraising apparatus with her ([28:15]), interpreted as a de facto Schumer/party endorsement.
  • Platner, with grassroots/College Democrat and figures like David Hogg’s endorsements, raises millions mostly from small donors.

• Populism vs. Elite Liberalism:

  • Extended debate over Platner’s viral moment—his affable but patronizing reply to a constituent (“she’s getting bad information”) criticized as elite-liberal condescension ([35:12]–[39:18]).
    • [35:11] Saagar: “Is it not the most elite lib coded response...to say that your belief is because of a lack of information and a lack of education? ...the definition of a hicklib and elite liberal response.”

• Meta-Discussion:

  • The contrast between party-anointed candidates and outsider populists; the legacy of John Fetterman raised as a cautionary tale.

3. Pakistan: Massacre of Protesters & Geopolitical Ripples

Starts at [44:30]

Coverage & Analysis

• Unprecedented Violence:

  • Over 1,000 deaths reported in Lahore (and beyond) in a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests led by the TLP (hardline Islamist party, traditionally controlled by Pakistan’s military).
  • Extensive, coordinated security violence—shootings captured on video, bodies loaded into trucks—yet almost total silence in mainstream and global media.

• Military/US Relations:

  • Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif, in power via stolen election, remains a figurehead; real control lies with military chief Field Marshal Asimani.
  • The United States’ leverage ([45:30])—threatening/withholding support for release of opposition leader Imran Khan—keeps the military compliant to US/geopolitical interests, including Israel ties.

• Why the Massacre Happened:

  • The military orchestrated this violence both as a warning to the US (“Don’t push us too fast towards Israel normalizations—we have instability!”) and as a domestic show of force to crush dissent.
  • [51:00] Ryan: “What good is a spectacular display of violence against protesters if you don’t tell the country about it? ...so that everyone in Pakistan knows that it happened so that they understand you will not protest for Palestine.”

• Regional Instability:

  • Ongoing house raids, suppression, and Pakistan Air Force strikes against Taliban targets in Afghanistan underway at the same time; risk of two-front war (with India and Afghanistan).
  • [58:17] Saagar: “Thank you for the update, Ryan, as always, our resident Pakistan correspondent. ...I thought I knew a lot about Pakistan until I met this guy.”

4. Bari Weiss’s Free Press “Debunking” of Gaza Famine, Challenged

Starts at [60:58]

Story Recap

• The Free Press’s Contentious Report:

  • Free Press, led by Bari Weiss, published a viral piece claiming children featured as Gaza famine victims were only sick due to “other health conditions” not malnutrition.
  • Ryan and Maha Hussaini (Dropsite) re-interview families—findings sharply contradict Free Press narrative:
    • Families and local doctors confirm children’s health catastrophically worsened due to food/milk shortages after Israeli border closure; pre-existing conditions made famine lethal, not mutually exclusive or causative.

• **Key Cases:

  • Mohammad, infant featured in NYT:** “He was chubby before siege. After borders closed in March, his health rapidly declined. Father killed in a strike. Lack of milk, supplies—he is now severely malnourished.” ([67:22])
  • Najwa, age 6: Had scheduled surgery for esophageal stenosis, canceled by war; medical supplements vanished, led to malnutrition. ([70:53])
  • Hamza, 25: With cerebral palsy, managed for years on supplements; war conditions, loss of shelter led to declining health.

• Critique of Free Press Reporting/Journalism:

  • No evidence they attempted to contact families/doctors; context ignored.
  • [64:39] Ryan: “Full context is good. But the idea that these children’s pre-existing conditions were the thing that was driving their health complications...turns out not to be the case once you’ve talked to their families.”
  • Host and Olivia note trend of media “debunkings” resting on incomplete or careless reporting, soon to be amplified as Bari Weiss gains new influence at CBS News.

• Insightful Moments:

  • [77:03] Ryan: “One of the ones they cited was a 14-year-old who had a piece of his skull removed because he was hit by an Israeli shell.—He had a pre-existing condition from getting shelled by Israel.”
  • [76:50] Olivia: “It actually makes the story fuller, more interesting to know that it’s the case...it enriches the story to know the background and it makes it clear just like the level of the downstream effects...”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Pentagon Media Restrictions and Hegseth: [02:08] – [21:51]
• Maine Senate Race/Democratic Old Guard: [22:22] – [43:20]
• Pakistan Protest Massacre and Analysis: [44:30] – [58:17]
• Gaza Famine Coverage and Free Press Debunk: [60:58] – [78:02]

Tone & Noteworthy Dynamics

• Lively, direct, no-nonsense debate; Saagar and Ryan disagree but push each other’s arguments for clarity, especially in the Maine segment.
• The discussion is laced with sardonic humor and exasperation, especially in the Pentagon and Maine segments.
• Deep, principled commitment to journalistic transparency and to challenging official and media orthodoxy.

For listeners looking for cogent, iconoclastic analysis of US press suppression, political gerontocracy, global abuses, and the importance of honest reporting, this episode is a jam-packed essential.