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The first-ever GOP midterm convention is underway in Dallas, and a number of high-profile Republicans, particularly those in battleground territory, are notably skipping it. The party has even been offering free tickets to help fill seats, at a moment when Trump’s approval rating is at an all-time low and oil hits $100 a barrel amid escalating chaos in the Middle East. Trump is competing with NFL kickoff and insisting the American Airlines Center is “totally sold out.” What will the vibes be like on the ground, and more importantly - what will ratings look like? Plus, why Aaron thinks the midterms will be closer races than polls would suggest.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is releasing more than 170,000 pages of city records documenting the government’s response to the attacks and their aftermath, launching the city’s first public portal dedicated to 9/11 records. But controversy surrounds the commemoration: former Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he doesn’t want Mamdani at Friday’s ceremony, and Trump falsely claimed that firefighters carried him away from the site after the attacks. Aaron and Jessica break down the commentary around Mamdani, how people are grappling with the tension between honoring families’ grief and holding the city accountable, and reflecting on how history repeats itself.
New disclosures show Trump gave three young White House staffers $45,000 each as Christmas gifts — including executive assistant Natalie Harp, who is rarely more than a few feet from the president. A former White House ethics lawyer says the payments may violate federal law. The White House insists they were simply holiday gifts. Is this generosity — or a serious ethical and legal problem?
A senior Anthropic researcher has publicly stated he believes there is more than a 10% chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade — and he’s not alone, with several Anthropic researchers now warning publicly that AI could become uncontrollable. Are we actually on track for an AI apocalypse?
Plus, Jess and Aaron take listener questions.
Join us next Wednesday at 12pm ET for the next edition of Raging Perspective.
