Representative Cory Mills (FL-07) firing up the base in August, 2022. Photo credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
We begin with a clip from the so-called “Access Hollywood” tape, in which presidential candidate Donald J. Trump describes sexually assaulting women; it surfaced weeks before the 2016 election, but remains relevant to today’s conversation. You can listen to the whole thing here.
In the news:
* This week President Donald J. Trump put Washington D.C. under the control of federal troops and police after former DOGE staffer Edward “Big Balls” Corastine was assaulted by teens during a carjacking. Declaring that “crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control," Trump put the D.C. police under federal jurisdiction, redeployed Secret Service and FBI agents to street patrol, and called in the National Guard. He also announced plans to round up homeless people, although it is unclear where he plans to take them. As of Thursday night, local authorities were making an effort to move the homeless out of harm’s way before raids began.
* On Monday, CNN reported that AOL is ending dial-up service after thirty years of connecting people: according to the 2023 census, 160,000 Americans still access internet via modem and landline. More troubling? Between 20 and 40 million Americans have no access to broadband, an affordability and infrastructure problem—but one also driven by the absence of competing carriers in rural areas and on tribal lands. Access increased dramatically under the Biden administration, but one 2023 study shows that 8% of Americans had either no internet or used mobile phones.
* Thursday, Trump announced plans to celebrate July 4, 2026 by hosting a UFC cage match fight on the front lawn of the White House. This promotional event benefits at least two campaign donors: UFC CEO Dana White, and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, whose WWE franchise owns $50 million worth of stock in the holding company that owns UFC.
* Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska yesterday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a summit planned for only four days. Trump said Putin was ready to make a deal, but it seems not. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies insist they need to be at the table for a just and sustainable peace. Meanwhile, experts say that the fact this summit was in Alaska is a victory for Russian nationalists who view the state as lost territory.
Your hosts:
Claire Potter is a historian of politics and media, a writer, a podcaster, and the sole author and editor of the Political Junkie Substack. Her most recent book is Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020), and she is currently writing a biography of feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller.
Neil J. Young is a historian of religion and politics, a journalist, and a former co-host of the Past Present podcast. His most recent book is Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right (University of Chicago Press, 2024).
Our focus today begins with Florida Republican, security entrepreneur, and Congressman Cory Mills, then explores why Trump’s GOP is filled with nasty men.
* Cory Lee Mills is a member of the House of Representatives representing Florida-07, a district just north of Orlando. Mills was born in Winter Haven and served with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq. Following his service, Mills worked for a series of military contractors before starting his own private security company, which appears to have done millions of dollars of government-approved business with the government of Iraq.
* In 2022, Mills flipped a Democratic seat and, upon arriving in Washington, distinguished himself by handing out souvenir grenades with a GOP logo to his new colleagues. He also co-sponsored a House resolution to impeach President Biden with Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), over what they claimed was Biden’s mishandling of immigration at the US-Mexico border. Mills also seems to have separated from his wife around this time, but is not yet divorced.
* Mills is a staunch Trump ally. But he is now in the news because of allegations by an ex-girlfriend, Lindsey Langston (who is both a Florida state Republican committee member and the reigning Miss United States) that he stalked and threatened her, and anyone she might date in the future. A staunch anti-pornography advocate in the House and voted for the Take It Down Act, Mills said he would release nude images and videos of her. Langston is being represented by Anthony Sabatini, who Mills defeated in the 2022 primary.
* These revelations follow on an incident in February, in which D.C. political consultant Sarah Raviani called the police, alleging that Mills had assaulted her. Raviani later recanted, and Mills has denied the accusation.
* Mills says all allegations against him are false, and that they are political attacks: Republicans are said to be “fretting” behind the scenes, but have done nothing: Democrats have declared that they plan to go after his seat.
* Since 2017, 8 high profile Republicans have been accused of physically or sexually assaulting someone: Greg Gianforte, Curtis Hill, Aaron Von Ehlinger, Tom Reed, Matt Schlapp, Rob Porter, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Then, there’s Corey Lewandowski, who works for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem—both of them are married, and Lewandowski has been credibly accused of physically assaulting a woman at least twice.
* How about porn and trafficking teenagers? There’s Matt Gaetz, obviously, Donald Trump possibly, but also Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey, Pennsylvania State Senator Mike Folmer, and Arizona State Representative David Stringer.
* Most recently, South Carolina Republican R.J. May, a member of the state legislature representing Lexington County, has resigned after accusations that he shared child pornography videos on the social messaging app Kik under the username "joebidennnn69." He’s also in jail: the judge has denied bond in the case.
What we want to go viral:
* Neil wants everyone to listen to “Liberty Lost,” a podcast hosted by journalist T.J. Raphael, about Liberty Godparent Home, a facility on the campus of Liberty University, where pregnant teens go to deliver unexpected babies—to a thriving network of parents eager to adopt.
* Claire wants everyone to read “This Ohio Community Is A Mecca for the MAHA Mom,” a piece by Caroline Kitchener of the New York Times.
Short takes:
* Trump’s cuts to the EPA’s solar energy programs are hitting tribal nations hard, Miacel Spotted Elk writes at Mother Jones. “The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, for instance, has planned solar projects reliant on federal tax cuts. The projects were designed to power a community health clinic, schools, and a radio station that broadcasts emergency notices during winter storms,” Spotted Elk explains. “However, with the passage of the OBBB, the tribe must now begin construction by July of next year or lose credits, a feat that doesn’t account for the time it takes to secure capital in various stages, seek a complete environmental review, and navigate long permitting timelines through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” (August 15, 2025)
* At The Nation, Osita Nwanevu argues that focusing on elites’ power to limit democracy for the many is a tough job, in part because hte wealthy exercise their power in indirect and secretive ways. Instead, he argues for strategies that will“democratically restructure the economy—granting the American worker more agency and ensuring that economic power and resources accrue to more than a wealthy few in the first place. In doing so,” Nwanevu writes, “we’d not only reduce inequality to the benefit of our political institutions, but also, of course, to the material benefit of everyday Americans—demonstrating that democracy is worth fighting for not just as a political abstraction but a means of improving our working lives.” (August 14, 2025)
* PBS has notified its staff and affiliates that it must reduce its budget by 21% to manage the impact of Congress defunding hte Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “It is not clear what the budget cuts mean for the day-to-day operations of PBS,” Benjamin Mullin writes at The New York Times. “The most beloved public TV shows, such as `Sesame Street,’ `Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’ and `PBS NewsHour,’ are distributed by PBS but produced by third-party organizations. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting contributed funding for some shows, meaning that there are likely to be many funding gaps.(August 14, 2025)
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