It Could Happen Here – "Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #36"
Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, James Stout
Podcast: It Could Happen Here (Cool Zone Media / iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Overview
This episode serves as the 36th installment of the “White House Weekly – Executive Disorder” series. The panel covers major developments from the week of September 21 to October 1, 2025, focusing on U.S. political chaos, particularly the ongoing government shutdown, Trump administration's authoritarian pivots, escalations in domestic security policy, culture war backlashes (like the Jimmy Kimmel/Disney controversy), and intensified federal action in cities such as Chicago and Portland. The hosts provide insight, dark humor, and on-the-ground analysis, seeking to contextualize these ongoing shocks and their impact on democracy and civil society.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Government Shutdown: Origin and Fallout
- The Situation: The U.S. government is currently shut down as the Senate failed to pass a short-term funding bill. Republicans are blaming Democrats, falsely accusing them of trying to provide health care to undocumented immigrants.
- Clarification:
- Democrats are actually fighting to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverse recent Medicaid cuts, not fund health care for "illegals."
- Republicans are intentionally misrepresenting these efforts to stoke outrage and deflect blame.
- Many undocumented immigrants are afraid to seek medical care due to ICE-related rumors, leading to negative health outcomes.
- Quote:
"It's a bad faith representation, as it always is... There has never been a massive federal free healthcare plan for undocumented people."
— Robert Evans [03:21]
2. Media Culture Wars: Disney, Kimmel, and the Boycott Backlash
- Key Event: Disney faced substantial subscriber losses (1.7 million cancellations) after suspending Jimmy Kimmel—a move interpreted as a right-wing effort to purge "anti-state" voices.
- Public Response: The backlash forced Disney to reinstate Kimmel, indicating broad public opposition to overt government censorship backed by corporate compliance.
- Quote:
"There are more of us than there are of them, and there always have been."
— Mia Wong [07:32] - Additional Note: The attempt to create a similar boycott against Netflix over “woke” content using years-old footage is mostly performative.
- Quote:
"Good luck with that. Have fun."
— Garrison Davis [09:08]
3. Department of Defense Renamed to "Department of War"
- Policy Change: Trump signed an executive order allowing the Department of Defense to use its historical name, "Department of War," including for domestic contexts.
- Implications:
- Shifts language to justify militarized domestic policy.
- Symbolic move reinforcing the administration’s posture toward dissent.
- Quote:
"They're going to continue to push this and using this kind of war framing for domestic operations, not just international deployments."
— Garrison Davis [09:47]
4. Trump’s “War from Within”—Federal Militarization of Cities
- Rhetoric: Trump and his officials are framing protests and immigration as existential threats—a “war from within.”
- Action: Trump has signed an order for a rapid reaction force to quell civil disturbance, urging military leaders to be ready to deploy against U.S. cities, especially “liberal-run” places like Portland and Chicago.
- Quote:
"That's a war, too. It's a war from within. Controlling the physical territory of our border is essential to national security. We can't let these people in."
— Trump (audio clip) [15:17] - Portland Reality:
- Protests remain limited compared to 2020, despite dramatic federal rhetoric and television news running old footage.
- Recent escalations include increased DHS helicopter flights and surveillance, but no National Guard presence or mass troop deployments.
- Quote: "There really hasn't been any of the, like, what we were seeing in 2020... So far at least, I have not seen either an escalation on the ground or an escalation in what's being deployed on the ground."
— James Stout [13:18]
5. Chicago: Major Escalation of Federal Action
- Recent Raid:
- Brutal late-night raid in the South Shore neighborhood—predominantly Black—targeted recently arrived immigrants, using flashbangs and mass detainment, including of children.
- CPD was spotted aiding the operation in apparent violation of state law.
- Reports include children zip-tied together and federal agents using racist, inhumane language.
- Quote:
"They are zip tying children to each other as they drag them from their homes at one in the morning and saying fucking kids."
— Mia Wong [36:02] - Further Escalation: Surveillance footage later showed feds choking a Black man during an unrelated operation; the justification from officials was unclear and shifting.
6. The Military’s Rightward Turn: Hegseth and “War Fighters”
- SecWar Pete Hegseth:
- Made speeches emphasizing “male standards,” grooming, physical fitness, and removing waivers for shaving—policies directly impacting Black service members.
- Emphasis on purging “disloyal” or “woke” military leadership, expressly referencing the removal of Milley and others who resisted unconstitutional orders under Trump’s prior administration.
- Quote:
"They don't want people that will deny him. He wants just a complete loyalist government, and that includes the military."
— Garrison Davis [30:55]
7. Border Policy and Indigenous Rights
- Fast-Tracked Wall Construction:
- New waivers allow for rapid border wall building at the expense of environmental and indigenous protections, especially the Kumeyaay people’s ancestral lands.
- Simultaneously, Hegseth has controversially restored Medals of Honor to the soldiers responsible for the Wounded Knee Massacre.
- Quote:
"Hundreds of unarmed Lakota civilians were murdered by the United States military."
— Robert Evans [39:20]
8. Federal Law Enforcement Retracted from Traditional Policing
- Resource Shift: Federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF, have reportedly redirected focus almost entirely to immigration enforcement, reducing prosecution and investigation of other major crimes like drug trafficking and racketeering.
- Corruption Spotlight:
- Trump border czar Tom Homan allegedly accepted $50,000 from undercover agents in a bribery sting; the investigation was quietly dropped by the Trump DOJ.
- Quote:
"This is like the level of normalized corruption which exists in every level of this administration..."
— Garrison Davis [45:13]
9. Venezuela: Secret Strikes & Miller’s Role
- New Policy: Stephen Miller has been orchestrating “limited” military strikes on alleged drug smugglers in Venezuela with much of the government left uninformed until after the fact.
- Justification: Article 2 powers invoked for self-defense engagement.
Major Policy Memo: Countering Domestic Terrorism (NSPM #7) – [48:29]
Overview & Concerns
- New Powers: Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum #7, instituting a far-reaching domestic terrorism crackdown, explicitly targeting “antifa” and other left-leaning groups by linking protest, disobedience, and radical beliefs with terrorism.
- Sections:
- Section 1: Claims a 1,000% rise in attacks on ICE, blames “sophisticated” left-wing networks for orchestrating protests and riots.
- Section 2: Mandates joint terrorism task forces to investigate “radicalizing” and “recruiting,” targeting group funders (including NGOs), surveilling “indicators”—anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, anti-Americanism, “extremism” on migration, etc.
- Section 3/4: Broadens financial surveillance (IRS, DOJ, Treasury involvement) and designates domestic terrorism a funding priority.
- Practical Ramifications:
- Justification for increased surveillance and prosecution of protest groups, legal NGOs, bail funds, and ordinary protesters.
- Expansion of criminal statutes (RICO, money laundering, conspiracy, etc.) to nonviolent protest, doxing, trespassing, and civil disorder.
- Chilling effect on speech, fundraising, and organization—intended to suppress dissent, not just punish acts of violence.
- Quote:
"They're basically using... tactics to take down organized crime rings just targeting their political enemies, targeting political organizations and people who attend protests."
— Garrison Davis [69:04] - Important Caveat:
"No laws have been changed criminalizing anti-Americanism. Right. But that does not mean that this order is not going to chill speech, suppress free speech, or be used to criminally target people."
— Garrison Davis [73:10]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On Media Manipulation:
"They've created a reality around what happened in Portland in 2020 that you will never change with facts or evidence."
— Robert Evans [21:57] - On Administrative Authoritarianism:
"They don't need to use coded phrases, right? They just say this stuff... they're just saying the thing."
— Mia Wong [17:31] - Federal Law Enforcement Corruption:
"Tom Homan, for those who are not familiar, is Trump's border czar... They gave Homan the money, but waited to see what he would do in office... The Trump DOJ took no further steps to investigate and has closed the investigation."
— Robert Evans [43:31-45:13]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Gov’t Shutdown & Health Care Dispute: [01:03]–[04:25]
- Disney/Kimmel Boycott Fallout: [05:08]–[08:37]
- DOD Rebranding/“War Department” & Portland Militarization: [09:08]–[17:19]
- Chicago Raid Details & Escalation: [31:26]–[37:35]
- Military “Loyalty Purge” / Hegseth’s Policies: [25:00]–[31:21]
- Border Wall, Indigenous Rights, Medals of Honor at Wounded Knee: [37:35]–[41:44]
- Law Enforcement Shift (FBI/ATF) & Tom Homan Bribery: [42:06]–[45:59]
- Venezuela Strikes / Miller: [46:02]–[47:54]
- NSPM-7 Anti-Terror Memo (Deep Dive): [48:29]–[74:15]
- Fundraiser (Emergency Circus) & Sign-Off: [74:15]–[76:45]
Overall Tone
The discussion is a mix of sardonic humor, exasperated realism, and alarm, reflecting both the absurdity and the gravity of the ongoing political collapse. Hosts are unflinching in calling out authoritarian tendencies and misinformation while contextualizing for listeners the actual on-the-ground realities behind cable news headlines and government pronouncements.
Useful for Listeners Who
- Want a clear, critical, and sometimes darkly funny breakdown of contemporary U.S. authoritarianism.
- Need context beyond partisan soundbites about federal crackdowns, protest “wars,” and culture war eruptions.
- Seek to understand which threats are overinflated media narratives versus where real-world repression is (and isn’t) happening.
- Are organizing, advocating, or simply worried about democratic backsliding and what it means for ordinary Americans.
For more information:
- Visit Cool Zone Media
- Submit tips securely: CoolZoneTips@proton.me
- Fundraiser mentioned: GoFundMe for Emergency Circus bringing performances to children in migrant shelters (link in show notes).
Summary by your podcast summarizer — listen for the laughter among the ruins, the urgent calls for action, and the reminders that, as the hosts repeat, “there are more of us than there are of them.”