This week, Lisa and David talk about White House Correspondents’ Dinner aftermath; Comey indicted for 8647 post; MAGA influencer Craig Long caught in prostitution sting; Minnesota women use Tinder to honeytrap ICE agents; Trump’s new surgeon general nominee; Bongino says he planted fake info to catch ‘snakes’ in FBI; man pleads guilty to 2002 murder of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay; AI Sector bubbler, massive valuations and record-breaking seed rounds; AI generated podcasts; Kid Rock gets a joyride in Army helicopter and addresses Pentagon; Trump’s image on new passports; Federal appeals court won’t rehear Trump’s appeal of E. Jean Carroll’s $83 million jury award; will the midterm elections be fair?; Sackler family subject to $7.4 billion settlement and lifetime ban; partial shutdown ends while GOP pursues additional $70B blank check for ICE; 40+ blood types; and more.

Added Context for Trump Commemorative Passport

From NPR:

The commemorative passport will be the default document for people applying in person at the Washington office, although those who want a standard passport will be able to get one by applying online or outside Washington, officials said.

Snopes says TRUE: What to know about new US passport design with Trump portrait

Added Context for Fairness of the 2026 U.S. Midterm Elections

Experts express significant concern regarding the fairness of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, largely driven by the rise of “election-denying” candidates running for key oversight positions. While a majority of Americans still trust local officials to run fair elections, confidence is waning, and widespread worry exists regarding voter turnout, intimidation, and the certification of results.

Many experts argue that the 2026 midterms are not just another partisan contest, but a stress test of whether election outcomes are decided by voters or by whoever can control the rules, administration, and certification process first. In that framing, the Trump administration’s strategy is to move the fight earlier—into voter eligibility rules, election administration, redistricting, law enforcement, and post-election certification—rather than waiting to contest results after ballots are cast.

The core claim is that Trump is trying to reshape the mechanics of the election before November 2026, using federal power and allied state action to make the terrain more favorable to Republicans. Reported tactics include pressure for mid-decade redistricting, stronger citizenship-proof and voter-ID requirements, staffing key agencies with election loyalists, and aggressive scrutiny of voting systems and materials. The broader warning is that even if ballots are cast normally, the administration may try to create enough chaos, delay, or legal uncertainty that certification becomes the real battleground.

For the 2026 midterms, the practical implication is that House control, and possibly Senate margins, may be influenced as much by map-drawing and administrative disruption as by persuasion of voters. The article suggests Democrats and election officials should expect challenges around voter eligibility, ballot access, chain-of-custody disputes, and post-election certification deadlines, especially in close races. In other words, the election could hinge on whether institutions can process and certify results quickly and cleanly enough to withstand coordinated pressure.

The 2026 midterms could become a battle over the infrastructure of democracy, not just campaign outcomes. The central concern is that Trump is trying to stack the rules so that a Republican advantage is built in before voters even arrive, and then to preserve leverage if the results still look unfavorable.

Even so, many experts still claim the odds look high that the 2026 midterms will be broadly fair and will mostly reflect voter intent, but not zero-risk. The strongest evidence points to a system that still has major guardrails: elections are run by states, most voters will use paper-backed ballots, and post-election audits are standard in nearly every state.

Sources:

8 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections (Propublica)

Local election officials fear retribution ahead of fall midterms (Politico)

The Campaign to Undermine the Midterms (Brennen Center)

How Trump is moving to control U.S. elections, one state at a time (Reuters)

Five ways Trump could try to tilt the midterm elections in his favor (Guardian)

How could Trump interfere in the midterms? Here’s what voting officials are watching (NPR)

The Trump Administration’s Strategy for Reshaping Elections (Just Security)

Links:

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Yergz Radio (yergzradio.com)

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