Beth is still on vacation, so Sarah drafted a guest co-host she's been married to for 23 years. Sarah and Nicholas run through the headlines — Iran's "low-key" chess game, the cost of absolutely everything, and the Flock cameras multiplying across the country — before digging into the state of the Democratic Party: the DSA's rise, AOC, purity tests, and why Barack Obama is somehow still the party's leader. Then, Outside of Politics, the full report on the Hollands' 3,000-mile RV trip from hell — eight states, four national parks, one brutal adenovirus, and a PSA about the rental company.

Join us in Minneapolis on August 29 — or grab a virtual ticket to watch the live show from home: https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/p/2026-events

Support the show and get access to News Briefs, Spicy Live bonus episodes, and community: https://pantsuitpolitics.substack.com

Iran

Trump to Axios: "We are low-keying it" with Iran (Axios): https://www.axios.com/2026/08/09/trump-iran-interview

The Economy

July jobs report: US economy shed 23,000 jobs (NBC News): https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/july-2026-jobs-report-rcna591138
The Employment Situation — July 2026 (BLS): https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Chick-fil-A keeps winning over customers despite quietly increasing prices by 55% (Market Realist): https://marketrealist.com/how-much-have-menu-prices-of-chick-fil-a-gone-up/
Substack essay on Chick-fil-A pricing that Sarah mentioned (add link)

Surveillance & Flock Cameras

The New York Times on Flock cameras (add link)
How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking (The Washington Post): https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/02/how-police-officers-used-vast-network-cameras-spy-their-exes/
Police cameras tracked one driver 526 times in four months, lawsuit says (NBC News): https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/virginia-police-used-flock-cameras-track-driver-safety-lawsuit-surveil-rcna230399

The Democratic Party

Platner's Top Strategist on What Went Wrong | The Ezra Klein Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xET1CqVTrNE
Pantsuit Politics on the Reagan legacy (add link)

Outside of Politics: The RV Trip

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library — Plan Your Visit: https://www.trlibrary.com/visit
Medora Musical: https://medora.com/medoramusical/
Pitchfork Steak Fondue: https://medora.com/pitchforksteakfondue/
Sun Tours — Blackfeet-owned tours of Glacier National Park: https://www.suntours.co/

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