Thursday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Tom Bevan, Richard Porter, and RCP’s new White House correspondent, Carolina Lumetta, break down the Trump administration’s latest battles in Congress and gaffes, plus preparations for the UFC event this weekend on the White House lawn. “After Party” host Emily Jashinsky joins the show to analyze ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment when House Republicans asked about foreign donations, and an excerpt from a new book about how the Trump administration handled the Epstein files controversy. Plus, will the FIFA World Cup help heal any of America’s political divides? And Democrats lose the Congressional Baseball Game, while the New York Knicks win Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: House GOP Fumbles FISA Over Bill Pulte RCP White House correspondent Carolina Lumetta explains the Trump administration’s battle to find a replacement Director of National Intelligence, with opposition to acting DNI Bill Pulte helping derail House Republicans’ attempt to pass a short-term extension of the FISA Section 702 surveillance authority. “This is exactly the wrong time to be turning off FISA,” Richard Porter said. *** 10:32 – Trump Loves the Inflation? The panel reacts to Trump saying, “I love the inflation,” and whether the political damage is done regardless of what he really meant. Watch: Trump: I Love The Inflation, Prices Will Come Down After This War Is Over Watch: Speaker Johnson: Trump’s Inflation Remarks Have Been Taken Out Of Context “Republicans are gonna hear this in ads for the rest of the year, so that does sting, especially when they have been asking Trump to talk about the economy more,” Lumetta commented. *** 15:53 – White House Previews UFC Colosseum Carolina describes her early tour of the massive UFC arena being set up on the White House South Lawn, ahead of an unprecedented event scheduled for this weekend. “It’s very Roman,” Richard Porter observed. “There’s an element of like, we just built this Colosseum right near the seat of power.” *** 19:19 – ActBlue Director Pleads the Fifth Emily Jashinsky joins the panel to discuss the CEO of ActBlue — a central fundraising engine for Democrats — pleading the Fifth 21 times when House Republicans asked what she knew about the group accepting foreign donations. Watch: ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones Invokes Fifth Amendment “People outside of D.C. might not totally understand ActBlue, WinRed, and their centrality to the political process right now,” Jashinsky said. “These platforms have basically become the funnels for political donations … So, of course, she doesn’t want to testify to it in front of Congress because if you don’t want to hurt Democrats, then you don’t want to talk.” “Not a good PR strategy, but it may well be a good legal strategy,” Richard Porter said. *** 28:43 – Who Leaked New Epstein Story to NYT? The panel breaks down a New York Times excerpt on the Trump White House’s Epstein files response and asks who leaked the Situation Room details. NY Times: Inside the White House Freakout Over the Epstein Files Amazon: Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump “Sounds like a neutral title to me,” Tom Bevan joked. “My first thought is, who leaked this?” *** 39:04 – Will World Cup Heal America’s Divides? Plus, Congressional Baseball Game and NBC Finals The episode ends with some sports, looking forward to the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with the panel debating whether the tournament can boost tourism, fill stadiums, and soften international tensions. “Sport pulls people together in a way,” Richard Porter said. “That really needs to happen from time to time.” “This is going to heal relations between the U.S. and Canada? I call BS on that,” Bevan said. “Are you just so hyped to watch soccer you can’t control yourself?” The panel also jokes about Republicans winning the annual congressional baseball game for the sixth straight time, and the Knicks’ 29-point comeback over the Spurs in last night’s NBA final.

Listen to RealClearPolitics weekdays at 11 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms. Subscribe for more RealClearPolitics analysis, interviews, and political commentary.
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