Rick Wilson and Stuart Stevens unpack the hidden history of gay power brokers inside Republican politics—and the contradiction at the heart of the GOP’s modern anti-LGBTQ culture war.

Drawing on decades inside Republican campaigns, they revisit the story of Mississippi congressman Jon Hinson, strategist Arthur Finkelstein’s role in shaping culture-war politics, George W. Bush’s 2004 push for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Dick Cheney’s response to his daughter’s relationship, and the party’s continuing fixation on LGBTQ Americans. The result is a candid look at hypocrisy, repression, political ambition, and the human cost of a party at war with itself.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Rick Wilson and Stuart Stevens go live
0:22 What was the Republican “Pink Mafia”?
1:01 Why the GOP’s trans fixation matters now
2:43 Jon Hinson and gay Washington
7:18 The scandal that threatened Hinson’s career
10:05 A second arrest and Hinson’s resignation
11:44 Arthur Finkelstein and the modern culture war
15:31 Gay power brokers inside Republican politics
16:32 Trump, gay marriage, and Obergefell
19:53 What it was like inside GOP campaigns
20:25 Bush’s 2004 campaign against same-sex marriage
21:10 Dick Cheney’s revealing debate preparation
23:34 Closing thoughts and what comes next

Former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer explains how Todd Blanche went from a mainstream federal prosecutor to Donald Trump’s personal attorney—and ultimately to the top of the Justice Department.

Oyer examines Blanche’s loyalty to Trump, his handling of Ghislaine Maxwell, the rise of a lucrative “pardon economy,” and the retaliation faced by officials who challenge the administration. Her warning is clear: when loyalty to one person replaces loyalty to the Constitution, equal justice becomes impossible.

0:00 How Todd Blanche reached the top of DOJ
2:54 Where Blanche’s loyalty lies
3:56 The Ghislaine Maxwell arrangement
4:56 Trump’s “pardon economy”
6:45 Mandatory minimums and sentencing reform
8:34 Liz Oyer describes DOJ retaliation
10:27 The warning being sent to DOJ insiders

FBI agents were reportedly preparing to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. Then, according to emails discussed by citizen journalist Ellie Leonard, the ranch suddenly dropped to the bottom of the priority list.

Leonard joins former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi to examine what happened next: an incompletely investigated 8,000-acre property, questions about its ownership and a pattern of extraordinary treatment that followed Epstein from New Mexico to Florida.

Was Epstein protected by wealth, powerful relationships or something even higher-level? Frank and Ellie separate the documented facts from the theories—and explain why the unanswered questions still smell wrong.

0:00 What happened to the Zorro Ranch investigation?
0:39 FBI agents prepare to search the property
1:02 The ranch drops down the priority list
1:51 A surprising ownership discovery
1:59 Why the 8,000-acre ranch matters
4:21 Who owns the property now?
5:04 Was someone protecting Epstein?
6:03 Treatment no ordinary defendant would receive
7:23 Work release, house arrest and zero check-ins

Political campaigns increasingly release polls designed to influence the election narrative—but how can you tell which numbers deserve your trust?

Veteran political strategist Joe Trippi and Alex Shashlo explain how questionable pollsters manufacture momentum, why campaign-sponsored surveys deserve extra scrutiny, and which established polling operations they take seriously. They also break down survey methodology, mixed-mode polling, name recognition, favorability, undecided voters, and why the headline matchup can be the least informative number in the entire poll.

0:00 Why campaign polls deserve skepticism
1:29 The rise of fly-by-night pollsters
3:13 How poll dumping manipulates averages
4:44 Which polling organizations can you trust?
5:51 Why Fox’s polling operation earns respect
9:28 Look beyond the head-to-head number
12:05 Why polling methodology matters
13:35 Questions that reveal what voters really think

Donald Trump’s polling has fallen sharply, including deep trouble with independent voters. So why does national political coverage continue treating the electoral map as largely fixed?

Joe Trippi explains why conventional assumptions about polarization, gerrymandering, and “safe” Republican territory may no longer capture what is happening. He examines weakening MAGA enthusiasm, economic pressure on Trump’s own coalition, widespread opposition to data centers, and the Argentine beef decision angering American ranchers.

0:00 What the political media is missing
3:36 Weakening enthusiasm inside Trump’s base
5:28 Data centers could scramble the map
9:29 Why conventional election models may fail
11:37 Trump’s Argentine beef backfire
13:52 Red-state races that could become competitive

Measles cases are surging as vaccination rates fall—and the nation’s top health official is one of America’s most influential vaccine skeptics.

Emergency physician Dr. Rob Davidson joins Susan Dimas and Sam Osterhout to explain what measles looks like from the front lines, how RFK Jr.’s rhetoric distorts the risks of preventable disease, and why misinformation is putting children in danger. They also examine the widening divide between MAHA and MAGA, looming Medicaid cuts, rising ACA premiums, and the political fight over affordable healthcare.

Later, Susan and Sam remember Tim Curry, preview the week ahead at Lincoln Square, and issue this week’s assignment: support legislation preventing troops from being deployed around polling places.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome and Dr. Rob Davidson
0:50 America’s measles resurgence
4:31 RFK Jr.’s misleading measles argument
10:45 What drives RFK Jr.’s worldview?
18:04 The growing MAHA–MAGA split
20:09 RFK Jr.’s failures as an administrator
22:53 Vaccine myths and public-health misinformation
27:09 Poverty, access, and health outcomes
28:15 Medicaid cuts and rising ACA premiums
31:13 Where to follow Dr. Rob Davidson
32:37 Remembering Tim Curry
36:50 This week at Lincoln Square
40:50 The weekly assignment: protect our elections

Former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer joins Bobby Jones to explain how political loyalty, retaliatory firings, and the loss of career expertise are changing the Justice Department—and why the consequences reach far beyond Washington.

Then Bobby and Sam examine the Pentagon leadership crisis, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, strained Navy deployments, military readiness, and the strategic openings being handed to China and Russia.

‪@Lawyer_Oyer‬

0:00 Welcome to Anchor Watch
1:06 What the Justice Department is supposed to do
3:39 How White House control changed DOJ
7:02 Political prosecutions and the James Comey case
8:43 DOJ’s staffing crisis
12:18 Todd Blanche’s rise
15:12 Ghislaine Maxwell and special treatment
17:14 The “pardon economy”
19:03 Sentencing reform and mandatory minimums
20:52 Liz Oyer on retaliation for speaking out
24:00 Trump’s Washington vanity projects
27:11 Where to follow Liz Oyer
28:24 Sam joins the conversation
31:27 The Pentagon leadership crisis
35:05 Senior commanders push back
38:00 Iran, Hormuz, and an overstretched Navy
42:15 America cedes ground to China
45:20 The Navy asks former aviators to return
47:54 Enlistment and military readiness
49:32 Putin’s war and Russia’s losses
52:36 Congress abandons its constitutional role
58:01 Why military “non-concurs” matter
1:00:02 The danger of rejecting bad news
1:01:29 What is the goal in Iran?
1:02:48 Could the draft return?
1:04:27 Closing thoughts

Citizen journalist Ellie Leonard joins Frank Figliuzzi for a detailed examination of the unresolved questions surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, including apparently missing FBI interview notes, disputed document releases and investigative leads that remain unexplained.

Leonard discusses how she verifies records and traces their origins, why certain FBI serial numbers attracted scrutiny, and what the documents may reveal about allegations involving Epstein and Donald Trump. She and Frank also examine the stalled investigation of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, the extraordinary treatment Epstein received in Florida, questions surrounding his death, and the disturbing history of abuse connected to Interlochen Center for the Arts.

The conversation closes with Leonard’s interest in bringing greater attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women and children—and the jurisdictional and resource failures that leave many families without answers.

Subscribe to Lincoln Square for independent news, analysis and conversations that go beyond the headlines.

0:00 The Frank Figliuzzi Show
1:47 Meet citizen journalist Ellie Leonard
3:05 How Leonard began investigating Epstein
9:24 The mystery of the missing FBI notes
14:20 Are the leaked notes authentic?
18:33 Why references to Trump matter
22:01 What happened at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch?
27:05 Acosta and Epstein’s extraordinary treatment
30:33 Did Jeffrey Epstein die by suicide?
33:00 The abuse investigation at Interlochen
38:20 The coming Maxwell document release
38:48 Missing and murdered Indigenous women
44:42 Closing thoughts