Obama cuts off the 2028 field at the knees, Pelosi refuses to go in on Gavin, PLUS Trump responds on Munich and there is a secret attack on the 2nd Amendment. 

Rich Zeoli opens by arguing the Democrats don’t run a real grassroots nomination at all—superdelegates and party power brokers do—and that’s why the party keeps shutting down insurgent candidates year after year. We lay out how Biden in 2016, Bernie in 2016 and 2020, and even Kamala’s path all fit the same template: the decision gets made first, the “process” comes later.

Zeoli then turns to why Gavin Newsom’s 2028 “inevitable” storyline starts wobbling fast, pointing to Barack Obama’s public criticism of California’s homelessness approach and why that’s a brutal hit on Newsom’s core record. Rich also plays Nancy Pelosi praising Newsom while still hedging with “a great bench,” and we riff on Newsom’s latest third-term Trump talk—plus the merch-and-hats logic that’s being used to whip people up.

We shift to the overseas clips that light the match: Trump blasting Newsom and AOC as embarrassing on the world stage, and AOC’s Taiwan answer becoming the kind of footage opponents replay forever. From there, we move into the political aftershocks: Pelosi attacking the SAVE Act and voter ID, an old Schumer clip surfacing that cuts against today’s Democratic messaging, and why the fight over elections is only getting louder.

Then Rich gets into the Epstein spiral—Hillary Clinton distancing herself, Bill Maher walking back years of mockery, and how this story is turning into a career-destroyer even for people accused of nothing. We also hit a separate alarm bell: concerns about federal firearms transaction records being digitized into a massive searchable system, and why lawmakers are demanding answers.

To close it out, we play the viral street-level chaos: an anti-ICE confrontation in Minnesota, protest stunts in big-box stores, a bizarre “chicken funeral” scene, and a sharp exchange in a Minnesota hearing focused on fraud and welfare stats. And yes—we even wrap with an Italian phrase of the day.

00:00 — Newsom & AOC “vacation” fallout and the superdelegate machine
01:01 — 2016 and 2020: how the party blocks Biden and Bernie
01:56 — GOP primaries vs. Democratic control of the nomination
03:38 — The Gavin Newsom “puff piece” problem vs. the California record
05:20 — Obama criticizes homelessness policy and why it hits Newsom hardest
08:03 — Obama’s power in the party and Pelosi’s Newsom praise (with a hedge)
10:45 — Newsom’s third-term Trump warnings and the “merch clause” joke
14:30 — 2028 field mystery: “true candidate not revealed”
16:14 — Pelosi on the SAVE Act, voter ID, and election fears
19:30 — Old Chuck Schumer clip resurfaces on ID and fraud
20:21 — Trump slams Newsom and AOC’s Munich performance
22:05 — AOC’s Taiwan answer and why Rich says it’s politically fatal
29:03 — Hillary Clinton, Epstein, and the “set the precedent” theory
31:42 — Bill Maher’s comments and the Epstein panic spreading outward
33:40 — Gun database concerns and lawmakers pressing the ATF
34:30 — Minnesota anti-ICE confrontation goes viral
39:57 — Protest stunts in stores: ice, salt lines, and social media clout
41:47 — Trader Joe’s “chicken funeral” and the mask surprise
46:31 — Minnesota fraud hearing: Brandon Gill’s rapid-fire stats
53:53 — Italian phrase of the day and the sign-off