After the government shutdown over extending Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, Donald Trump and the Republican Doormat Congress have suddenly decided they care about healthcare costs. He has floated a series of insane ideas from just giving the money to individuals so we can "negotiate prices' to revisiting Health Savings Account. All that is old is new again and all that is stupid is still stupid. Healthcare is the foundation of nearly everything in the United States. It costs people their livelihoods, drives the ability to open businesses, and whether one should stay in a bad job or not. That’s before we talk about the devastating failures leaving us with sicker Americans. Fred Wellman sits down with Dr. Rob Davidson, ER Physician, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, and the podcast Paging America, to break down why these moves are so dangerous and how it will really cost Americans. Dr. Rob has been vocal about the real challenges to our health system and lays it all out in this must watch episode.SPONSOR:DUPE: For a limited time, the first 10,000 people who go to Dupe.com/FRED will instantly get 500 Dupe Points PDS Debt: Start planning today. Get a free debt analysis right now at PDSDEBT.com/FRED It will only take thirty seconds!

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are continuing their desperate attempt to save their power from the impending blue tidal wave coming their way. Their favorite tactic recently was pressuring red states to illegally redistrict before the midterms. Texas quickly leaped and so did Missouri’s Republicans. But Missouri isn’t Texas and the state has a robust petition initiative process that allows voters to veto laws they don’t agree with. In the states history they have done it 27 times and repealed the laws 25 of them. Now they are fighting it again. Fred Wellman sits down Richard von Glahn the Executive Director of People NOT Politicians to discuss his organizations efforts to repeal this illegal redistricting and offer perspective on how we are fighting back in a deeply red state. Richard started his career as a labor organizer in 2004 with SEIU since 2012 he has worked at MO Jobs With Justice as an organizing director and political director. He has worked on 10 ballot initiatives in Missouri including playing leading roles in the right to work initiative, three increases in minimum wage, expansion of Medicaid and an anti-gerrymandering initiative. In his time as an organizer in Missouri, he's knocked on tens of thousands of doors, gathering signatures to ensure Missourians voices are heard. SPONSORS: DUPE - For a limited time, the first 10,000 people who go to Dupe.com/FRED will instantly get 500 Dupe Points Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

Donald Trump continues to fight paying SNAP benefits as the shutdown continues. Not only are average Americans in the crosshairs but as we go into Veterans Day weekend over 1 million veterans are going without food aid and millions of government employees are unpaid or being illegally fired. This is what the Republican Doormat Congress has allowed. Fred Wellman sits down with American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley to discuss it all and how they are fighting back. Everett Kelley is the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the largest union representing federal and D.C. government employees. He began his first term of service as national president in February 2020, was elected to another term during the 42nd National Convention in June 2022, and was reelected during the 43rd National Convention in August 2024. Everett Kelley has been a member of AFGE since 1981. He worked at Anniston Army Depot and retired from there after 30 years of service.   SPONSOR: DUPE - For a limited time, the first 10,000 people who go to Dupe.com/FRED will instantly get 500 Dupe Points

Are Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump ordering our military to murder innocent people? It's a simple question that seems increasingly true. As of this week the U.S. has conducted 14 known strikes on boats in international waters killing 63 people and leaving 3 survivors. We don't know publicly if any of them were actually the supposed "narco-terrorists" they have been labeled by the Trump Administration. Congress has been all but silent and refuses to hold hearings. Fred was able to link up with the former Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, Major General (Retired) Steven Lepper to discuss the legal frameworks and concerns of he and his fellow former JAG's about these attacks and more of Hegseth's attacks on the JAG Corps. We are in a very dangerous place and we have to know if our service members are conducting extra-judicial murders in our name. 

We are deep into the government shutdown with no end in sight. Republicans refuse to even negotiate in good faith with Democrats who are demanding a simple thing….restore the healthcare tax subsidies that have been instrumental in controlling spiraling health insurance. It was the Republicans that destroyed that system in their Big Billionaire Bill. Now they are smearing Americans who will be protesting against it all this weekend. Fred sits down with two remarkable guests to discuss it all. First, Rohit Chopra the former CFPB Director and FTC Commissioner fired by Trump in February on the insane Argentinian bailout and shutdown games. Then he managed to get time with Delaware Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester on the Senate Democrats battle for average working Americans. It’s a full size show this week so tune in for it all!   Sponsors: Go to Dupe.com today and find similar products for less. It’s 100% free to use. Stop wasting money on brand names and start saving with Dupe.com today.

Mother’s are being arrested in school drop off lines who are legal immigrants but have brown skin. James Comey and Letitia James were indicted afer Trump installed his inexperienced personal attorney as the Assistant Attorney General for Northern Virginia to prosecute his enemies. Mike Johnson is calling the ‘No Kings’ protests a planned terrorist event supporting Hamas. The outrageious actions are building and destroying the very soul of this nation. We cannot look away. Joining me this week is Mike Nellis a Chicago-based leading political strategist, social impact entrepreneur, and investor reshaping the future of American politics. Mike has an unprecedented election win rate for his clients, a billion-dollar fundraising track record, and zero tolerance for performative politics, he builds campaigns and companies that don’t just compete—they win. Fred and Mike dive deep into the events this week and what it means for our fight for the nation. Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

This week has seen one assault on average Americans after another from actual assaults in Chicago to the government shutdown driven by the White House and Republican Congress. Amidst it all the Democratic caucus has held strong to dig in their heels and demand healthcare support and more for millions. Republicans are betting that Americans will blame Democrats for it all but that’s not what is happening. The Democratic caucuses are holding the line and Republicans are struggling. Rep. Jason Crow has been on the front line of the fight now and for years in and out of uniform. Congressman Jason Crow represents Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District. Former Army Ranger and Bronze Star recipient. After graduating college, Jason joined the active duty Army and served in the Army’s storied 82nd Airborne Division and in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. When he returned home, he looked for ways to continue to give back. Jason struggled to get his veterans benefits and knew others were having similar challenges transitioning from service to civilian life so he went to work helping veterans across Colorado. He carried that focus to Congress and now he serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Armed Services Committee, on which he is the Ranking Democrat of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee.   You can learn more about his work at: https://crow.house.gov/ Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

It's been one assault on our rights and freedoms after another this week. From more attacks on the media to this outlandish Executive Order to go after ‘left wing terrorism.’ But, yesterday was a shocking turn when it was revealed that the National Archvies illegally released the unredacted military records of Representative, and New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate, Mikie Sherrill. Rep. Sherrill is a decorated Navy veteran who graduated from U.S. Naval Academy and flew helicopters.  Mikie Sherrill proudly represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1994, Sherrill spent almost 10 years on active duty. She flew missions throughout Europe and the Middle East as a Sea King helicopter pilot, worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq invasion, and served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Congresswoman Sherrill attended law school after leaving the Navy in 2003, earning a degree from Georgetown University. She worked as a lawyer and eventually joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mikie worked to keep our communities safe, prosecuting federal cases and advising law enforcement on investigations.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Global History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Law degree from Georgetown University.Sign up for our Substack at fpwellman.substack.com to the big announcement first on October 1st.   You can learn more about her campaign for governor at: https://www.mikiesherrill.com/ Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

The horrifying murder of Charlie Kirk has unleashed a flood of chaos like nothing many of us have seen in our lifetimes. Recriminations have flown in all directions from his supporters and the targets are nearly anyone who doesn’t praise Kirk. Even the lightest criticism including quoting his own words from his voluminous record of speaking and writing has caused anyone from teachers, to pilots, to now TV show hosts to lose their jobs. Talking heads on the right are justifying the unfolding assault on free speech as necessary to protect the public. Even more chilling, Donald Trump has declared the amorphous movement “ANTIFA” as a domestic terrorist organization. Fred speaks longtime political commentator and journalist Greg Sargent about the unfolding chaos and attacks on our rights. Greg is a staff writer at The New Republic and the host of the podcast The Daily Blast. A seasoned political commentator with over two decades of experience, he was a prominent columnist and blogger at The Washington Post from 2010 to 2023 and has worked at Talking Points Memo, New York magazine, and the New York Observer. Greg is also the author of the critically acclaimed book An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics. 

While culture war issues and crime are blowing up the news cycle, average Americans are facing a reckoning in their lives. The economy is swiftly moving into to two-tiers. One for the rich and one for everyone else. Multiple stories have been coming out in the last week about the plunge of consumer confidence and shocking indicators of an economic collapse coming. Fred speaks with Michael A. McCarthy about a piece he had published this week in the new magazing, Hope and Hammer, arguing that Democrats can pursue populist policies without giving up their loyalty to the key factions of their coalition. That you can be populist and fight identitity politics at the same time. McCarthy is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Community Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research is on class, capitalism, and democracy. His first book, Dismantling Solidarity: Capitalist Politics and American Pensions, was published with Cornell University Press in 2017 and was awarded the Paul Sweezy Book Award as well as an honorable mention for the Labor and Labor Movements Book Award. His most recent book is The Master’s Tools: How Finance Wrecked Democracy (and a Radical Plan to Rebuild It). His work has been featured in Hammer & Hope, Boston Review, The Guardian, Jacobin, The New York Times, The New Left Review, and The Washington Post. Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

Make no mistake but we are in the midst of a surge of political violence from the horrific killings of the former Speaker of the Minnesota House and her husband to increasing clashes with ICE agents. Trump wants this violence to excuse him to impose even more authoritarian control over his enemies. We dive deep into it this week as he threatens to send thousands of Federal agents and the military to Chicago. A city that is literally over three times larger than his practice exercise in Washington D.C. Fred speaks with Dr. Robert Pape from the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) as well as Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth a combat veteran of the National Guard herself. We must act now to stop this illegal deployment that will undoubtedly lead to more violence, stripping of our rights, and damage to our military’s reputation for decades to come.  

Trump spent the week musing about being a dictator and picking fights with governors over his sudden interest in law and order…even as he refuses to release the Epstien files. There is a real sense that we are the proverbial frog in the pot as the water keeps heating up and millions of our fellow citizens seem to be missing it. Many in the pro-democracy space are baffled by the increasing open authoritarianism of Trump and how so many including the media seem to be completely missing the point. Fred sits down with content creator and journalist Steven Beschloss to discuss the moment. Beschloss has created award-winning content, as a writer, journalist, editor and filmmaker. Consistent in this work is a passion for writing and a belief in the transformative power of story. He applies that in a dozen different ways to our fight for our democracy today and especially through his newsletter ‘America, America’ focused on politics and society, democracy and justice.Subscribe to Steven’s Substack at: https://www.americaamerica.news/

Trump and his Republican minions have been hard at work this last week making sure he can stay in power and keep the House. From redistricting mid-decade to attacking mail-in voting, they have a rotten plan to suppress Democratic voters. The fight is on thanks to Democratic leaders not taking it laying down. But, what’s next? One of the biggest complaints many have about the Democratic Party is that they are not offering a vision for the future other than being anti-Trump. Many of the party leaders are stepping up to lead the way on countering that narrative and recently Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman offered a multi-step Pledge to America as a path to a more prosperous and secure future for all Americans. Representative Greg Landsman is a father and husband who is proud to call Southwest Ohio home. Prior to his time in elected office, Greg was a public school teacher and worked in education advocacy. Greg earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Ohio University and a master’s degree in Theology from Harvard University. In Congress, Representative Landsman serves on the House Committee on Small Business and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.You can learn more about Congressman Landsman’s campaign: https://www.landsmanforcongress.com/

As the military descends on Washington D.C., and the Border Patrol just randomly showed up at Governor Gavin Newsom’s press conference in LA, it’s increasingly clear that the Trump Administration wants us to be intimidated and scared. How about if we don’t? Their games aren’t fooling veterans who know what it really takes to militarize a nation. Fred sits down with his friend Patrick Murphy who was the first Iraq War veteran to get elected to Congress. He went on to serve as the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army. Today, as an entrepreneur and advocate, Patrick harnesses the power of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to help veterans find jobs, start businesses, and secure quality health care and mental health services. He and Fred dive into the issues of these deployments, how veterans can lead the charge for Democrats, and more. Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

Fred Wellman is solo this week to discuss the dismantaling of our Department’s of Defense and Veterans Affairs by the Trump Administration. You’ve heard the rumors about Pete Hegseth and his religious extremism but we are seeing it unfold in real time with his attacks on women leaders and transgender service members. Over at the VA Doug Collins is acting like he is fixing the second largest government agency and largest healthcare provider in the U.S. when he is truly breaking it apart. Shocking new reports this week show how they are losing doctors and nurses faster than they can be replaced and sending veterans to unqualified civilian mental healthcare providers. All of it is right in line with Project 2025’s goal to all but privatize the VA and enrich the insurance industry at the expense of those who have served. Watch it all and see the facts! Sponsor: Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-a-month trial period at: shopify.com/FRED

The Republicans have decided the only way they can win in 2026 is to cheat. It’s clear their policies are alienating millions of Americans and the Big Ugly Bill has landed like an anchor around their necks. So King Donald has asked his minions to rid him of this meddlesome election and Texas Governor Greg Abbott is happy to roll in to save him. With help from the thoroughly corrupt Department of Justice they are trying to do a rare mid-decade redistricting to get rid of majority minority districts and hand the Republicans five seats in the House. Our host Fred Wellman sits down with Texas House District-49 Representative Gina Hinojosa, chair of the progressive redistricting caucus, to discuss what is happening during what is supposed to be a Special Session about the devastating July 4th flash floods that killed dozens. Follow her on social media at @GinaForAustin.

Trump and his minions have been implementing Project 2025 at a breakneck pace with some estimates saying they are already over half way there in just six months. A major part of their mission is dismantling any regulatory barriers to letting their billionaire and corporate backers make more money and steal from the American people. Destroying the independent regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communcations Commission (FCC), and many more is foundational to their efforts. Fred Wellman has the amazing opportunity to sit down with one of the fired FTC Commissioners, Alvaro Bedoya, who is on a mission to show how this effort by Trump is destroying our government, our democracy, and truly hurting average Americans who deserve a break from price gouging to scams. Bedoya is working to raise awareness about how the administration is purging important watchdog agencies and what it means for consumers and the American people. Alvaro Bedoya is now a Senior Advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project. He was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as a Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission in May 2022 and served in that role until his resignation in June 2025. At the FTC, Commissioner Bedoya focused on how antitrust law could do more to protect workers and labor unions, and warned against rapidly advancing workplace surveillance technology.

To say that people are absolutely losing their minds of Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City’s Democratic Primary would be the understatement of the century. They are going nuts from continuous Fox News coverage to insane AI videos attacking him. In the end he won that race by being genuine, loving where he lives, talking to the people he wants to lead, and coming up with proposed solutions to their problems. Revolutionary isn’t it? That win has sparked a lot of interest in running for local offices. Run For Something is dedicated to helping young people and others learn how to run and win. Our host Fred Wellman sits down with Amanda Litman the President and Co-founder of Run For Something to talk about Mamdani’s win, why folks should run, and how the Democratic Party needs to change to meet the moment. Amanda has been in the political world for a while starting back as Hillary Clinton’s campaign email director. Charlie Crist’s digital director when he ran for governor in 2014 and as one of the first employees at Organizing for Action as deputy email director. She was also the email writer for Barack Obama’s re-election. She is a Northwestern University graduate and author and currently lives in Brooklyn. Her new book is called, "When We're in Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership" and is a guidebook for millennials and Gen Z on how to be an effective leader.    Learn more about Run For Something at: https://runforsomething.net/

The Big Ugly Bill squeaked into law last week and we are still unpacking all of the ugly stuff buried in it. It’s not just what is in this massive package of benefits for the rich but the timing of the pieces. With the healthcare and nutrition cuts timed to start after the midterms and the much touted no taxes on tips and overtime timed to end after the next Presidential one. Oddly none of the breaks for the super wealthy start later or ever end. Fred dives into the madness in D.C. from RFK’s Jr.s lies about vaccines and autism to how the Republicans are playing hide the ball on their plans. He’s joined by the brilliant junior Senator from Delaware Lisa Blunt Rochester to discuss how she is fighting back and what is ahead for Democrats. LBR as she is known was just elected to the Senate this past year after serving as Delaware’s one member of Congress since 2017 after a lifetime of public service in government and nonprofit work. Don’t miss this great conversation.   Sponsors: Quince: Go to Quince dot com slash FRED for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.

The Republicans passed their monstrous bill, and they did it on the back of lies and smears of average Americans. It’s also July Fourth weekend and we know that Trump is going to pummel the airwaves and Washington D.C. with his nationalistic fake patriotism. We are going to have the flag waved in our face and military members rolled out for display as he takes credit for their bravery. The truth is that his Administration is working hard to screw average Americans, veterans, servicemembers, and their families in every possible way. This week Fred is solo to dive into the truth behind Republicans' lies about their bill and Trump’s lies about ‘supporting the troops and how what is really happening is some of the worst attacks on their well-being in decades. Find out how he is dismantling the Department of Veterans Affairs, stopping the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau from enforcing rips offs, and more. They rely on lies because the truth is so bad.Sponsors:Stopbox:  Get firearm security redesigned and save 10% off @StopBoxUSA with code FRED10 at https://www.stopboxusa.com/FRED10  #stopboxpod Quince: Go to Quince.com/fred for FREE shipping on your order and 365-day returns.