The Lonely Liberal cover art

The Lonely Liberal

The Lonely Liberal

Written by: Nick Zenkin
Listen for free

About this listen

Hosted by Nick Zenkin, a podcast about the stress of American politics.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Nuclear Scientists Are Going Missing and Nobody Knows Why
    Apr 22 2026

    Over the last two years, at least 10 people with access to America's nuclear and aerospace secrets have died or disappeared. The FBI is now investigating. Congress has opened a formal inquiry. Trump was briefed and called it "pretty serious stuff." So what do we actually know? Nick walks through the cases, the official responses, and what remains unanswered — because this story is just getting started.

    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
  • Hormuz Shuts Again, Trump Posts Himself as Jesus, and RFK's Dead Raccoon
    Apr 19 2026

    Week 8 of the Iran war, and the wheels are coming off. Iran re-closes the Strait of Hormuz just 24 hours after reopening it, gunboats fire on Indian tankers, and gas hits $4.12/gallon — while Russ Vought tells Congress he has no idea what any of this is costing taxpayers. The House war powers resolution fails by a single vote. Trump picks a fight with the Pope, posts an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus healing the sick, and cancels $11 million to Catholic Charities in the middle of it. Pete Hegseth quotes a Pulp Fiction monologue as real scripture at a Pentagon sermon. The Atlantic drops a bombshell alleging FBI Director Kash Patel is drunk on the job and unreachable behind locked doors. RFK Jr. launches a taxpayer-funded podcast the same week a new book reveals he once pulled over on I-684 to cut the penis off a dead raccoon while his kids waited in the car. Plus: Analilia Mejia blows out NJ-11 by 20 points in yet another Dem special election overperformance, Swalwell and Tony Gonzales both resign over sexual misconduct on the same day, 10 House Republicans defy Trump to extend Haitian TPS, and Kamala Harris says she's "thinking about" running again in 2028. A week where institutional pushback finally showed up — from the Pope, the courts, the voters, and the Republicans Trump can't count on anymore.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Iran Stalemate, Orbán Falls, and Swalwell Implodes
    Apr 12 2026

    Rick's out sick, so Nick is flying solo with a quick-hit roundup of the biggest stories of the week. Six weeks into the Iran war, Trump threatened to bomb power plants on Easter Sunday, Vance flew to Islamabad for peace talks and came home empty-handed, Israel killed 300+ in Lebanon in a single day, and the Pope told everyone to knock it off. Then Vance hopped over to Hungary to campaign for Trump's favorite authoritarian — and voters threw Orbán out anyway. Plus: Melania held a press conference nobody asked for, Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign is in freefall after sexual assault allegations, Trump wants a triumphal arch next to Arlington (for himself), ICE arrested a soldier's spouse on an Army base, and inflation is back up. A lot happened. Let's get into it.

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
No reviews yet