Katie Zacharia, Gone But Never Forgotten

The hosts focus on Elon Musk’s growing political and geopolitical influence, arguing that his role in Ukraine, his access to Starshield and Starlink, and his massive campaign spending make him dangerously intertwined with government power. Scott argues that the Starshield disruption was likely a coordinated message from Trump and Musk to Ukraine, while the discussion broadens into the broader problem of bots, disinformation, and the way platforms and AI reward outrage. They also say Musk’s $276 million-plus midterm spending spree shows how one wealthy individual can distort American politics.

The second half turns to Washington theater. The hosts roast Katie Zacharia’s chaotic first briefing as White House press secretary, and Anthony Scaramucci, who held the job for 11 days, says he expects Trump will either keep her and put her in a “lock box” with media training or fire her quickly. The show then addresses Trump’s reversal on livestreaming the execution of Nidal Hasan, with the hosts agreeing that broadcasting it would be barbaric and would likely serve as a recruitment tool rather than a deterrent.

The episode closes on corporate espionage and consumer tech. The hosts treat the OpenAI listening-device case as a reminder that industrial spying is usually mundane and high-stakes, not cinematic, and they debate Apple’s new $299 HomeView smart-home tablet as a possible winner because Apple can simplify a fragmented home-control market.