Shows / Systemic Error Podcast
Systemic Error Podcast
This isn’t a glitch — it’s the design. Commentary from inside the collapse.
paulstsmith.substack.com
Episodes
Systemic Error PodcastTrump reveals who he wanted to replace Karoline Leavitt — but lost out on
What happened AlterNet reports that President Donald Trump floated Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy as a possible replacement for former White House press…
Systemic Error PodcastDNC strategist cleans former Trump official’s clock to his face
What happened On CNN’s Thursday News Central, Democratic National Committee strategist Sawyer Hackett disputed former Trump administration official Matt…
Systemic Error Podcast'Bizarre' clapping incident shows loyalists 'afraid' of Trump: NYT analysis
What happened AlterNet reports that during a Thursday executive-order signing, President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members and other allies applauded for an…
Systemic Error PodcastHegseth to announce new purge at Pentagon as war drags on: report
What happened RawStory reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to announce a 20 percent reduction in positions reserved for generals and admirals…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP senators are plotting Hegseth's doom — but it's really Trump they're coming for
What happened RawStory columnist Jason Miciak argues that Republican senators’ complaints about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are an indirect challenge to…
Systemic Error PodcastSecret recording catches Ken Paxton privately trashing Trump’s convention: NYT
What happened RawStory reports that Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton privately said Donald Trump’s two-day midterm convention…
Systemic Error PodcastShe left the ER after a 4-hour wait — they billed her anyway
What happened AlterNet reports that Autumn Daniels was billed $410 by Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, after an April emergency-room visit in…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP senator shocks with 'remarkable break from Trump': 'Maybe we're doing something wrong’
What happened Sen. Jim Justice urged the Trump administration to reconsider immigration sweeps that remove long-established community members, telling Politico…
Systemic Error Podcast'Desperate' Republicans in 'panic mode' as new attack line fails: report
What happened RawStory reports that prominent Republicans are calling Democratic candidates “weird,” reviving an insult Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz used against…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP senator's lawsuit accuses Jack Smith of mocking 'Trump's complexion’
What happened RawStory reports that Sen. Marsha Blackburn sued former special counsel Jack Smith in federal court in Tennessee, seeking $1 in nominal damages…
Systemic Error PodcastStop telling me to 'find joy' while the GOP is wrecking America
What happened AlterNet columnist D. Earl Stephens rejects the claim that Democrats need to project more “joy” to reconnect with voters. His response was…
Systemic Error PodcastKennedy Center 'in free fall' as Trump allies max out credit and spend opera funds: WaPo
What happened RawStory, citing The Washington Post’s review of confidential board documents and tax filings, reports that the Kennedy Center’s Trump-appointed…
Systemic Error PodcastThis scumbag's shame shows how low the GOP has plunged
What happened RawStory reports that Sen. Eric Schmitt used a Senate Judiciary hearing to call former special counsel Jack Smith a “total dirtbag,” a “villain,”…
Systemic Error PodcastJack Smith waving 'proverbial finger' at MAGA could spur 'severe consequences': analyst
What happened RawStory reports that former special counsel Jack Smith told a Senate panel on Tuesday that his investigation had developed what he described as…
Systemic Error PodcastRepublican sounds off on Pete Hegseth's latest military downsizing plans: 'Indefensible’
What happened RawStory reports that Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and retired Air Force brigadier general, called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s…
Systemic Error PodcastJim Acosta thinks GOP’s Schmitt should be 'hiding in a cave today’
What happened Jim Acosta said Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri should be “hiding in a cave” after Schmitt’s conspiracy theory involving former special…
Systemic Error PodcastPete Hegseth ridiculed over bizarre video featuring troops exercising: ‘This is insane’
What happened RawStory reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted a 36-second official video on September 30, 2026, showing service members running…
Systemic Error Podcast'Radioactive' Trump pummeling GOP's midterm chances with surprise move: Maddow
What happened Rachel Maddow argued on NBC’s “Late Night” that Donald Trump’s unpopularity is damaging Republicans’ midterm prospects because GOP candidates…
Systemic Error PodcastWe already know who will win the midterms: expert
What happened AlterNet’s headline overstates the evidence: no one already knows who will win the 2026 midterms. Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy…
Systemic Error PodcastMAGA melts down as Trump rival gets Nobel Peace Prize buzz
What happened AlterNet reports that speculation about Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney receiving a Nobel Peace Prize nomination drew criticism from Fox News…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP’s Jack Smith 'face plant' blew up Republican midterm chances: insider
What happened AlterNet reports that Republican Senator Eric Schmitt tried to accuse former Special Counsel Jack Smith of perjury during a Wednesday Senate…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump AG blows his top denying reality about his own department
What happened At a Wednesday press conference, Blanche repeatedly denied that Justice Department attorney Kurt Olsen had resigned or left his investigation…
Systemic Error PodcastByron Donalds rages at 'fad' taking over his home state: 'We know how this works’
What happened RawStory reports that Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds dismissed solar power as a “fad” at a campaign event in Daytona…
Systemic Error PodcastStrategists demand answers from Scott Jennings on 'the corpse of McConnell’
What happened AlterNet reports that former Republican strategists Sarah Longwell, Jonathan V. Last, and Tim Miller challenged pundit and former McConnell…
Systemic Error PodcastFox News hands Trump brutal reality check on his biggest economic problem
What happened AlterNet reports that Fox News polling gave President Donald Trump a blunt political warning: voters view the cost of living as the country’s…
Systemic Error PodcastPaxton privately trashed Trump’s midterm convention: leaked audio
What happened AlterNet reports that Ken Paxton privately said Donald Trump’s September Republican convention in Dallas hurt GOP candidates rather than helping…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump plan to make burgers cheaper backfires spectacularly in MAGA country
What happened AlterNet reports that the Trump administration expanded the amount of imported lean beef eligible for lower tariffs by 300,000 metric tons—about…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump proves a 50-year-old theory about 'stupid people' wrecking society
What happened AlterNet reports that New Republic writer Ross Rosenfield used Italian historian Carlo Cipolla’s 1976 theory of human stupidity to interpret…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump in 'emergency' mode as leaks reveal scramble to fix dire issue
What happened AlterNet, citing the Financial Times, reports that President Donald Trump and administration officials entered “emergency talks” over sharply…
Systemic Error PodcastWhat Trump truly fears when he lashes out at the Supreme Court
What happened AlterNet reports that Atlantic writer Adam Serwer identifies Trump’s fear as the possibility that public criticism can influence Supreme Court…
Systemic Error PodcastMAGA senator throws tantrum after epic gaffe in Jack Smith hearing: ‘Quote me on it!’
What happened RawStory reports that Sen. Eric Schmitt used a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to accuse former special counsel Jack Smith of meeting Fulton…
Systemic Error PodcastRoad trip uncovers voter outrage that could 'blow up' Trump and the GOP
What happened AlterNet reports that an NBC News road trip along Interstate 80 in August found widespread voter anger that could damage President Donald Trump’s…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump's 'human printer' and the twisted magic of the MAGA cocoon
What happened AlterNet reports that Natalie Harp, President Donald Trump’s personal aide and so-called “human printer,” helps manage the information placed…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump baffles with 'tremendous' claim after existential warning about AI
President Donald Trump speaking during a press conference with AI leaders. (Screengrab via CNN) What happened President Donald Trump said Tuesday that…
Systemic Error Podcast'Hell of a closing message': Mike Johnson's live TV promise leaves onlookers aghast
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) gives remarks to the media following a vote in the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump voters spill why they're ditching Republicans: 'Washington is full of criminals’
A supporter of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a MAGA hat during a rally at Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention…
Systemic Error Podcast'His fault': Trump 'robs GOP of chance' to go on offense in swing states
President Donald Trump gestures at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened Donald Trump is the “biggest culprit,”…
Systemic Error PodcastScott Jennings cornered on CNN over Trump's 'communist' political ads: 'What is this?’
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings on CNN’s “The Arena.” (CNN screenshot) What happened RawStory reports that President Donald Trump played a leading role…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump just revealed his midterm strategy hinges on a 'monumental scandal': report
US President Donald Trump looks on as he attends the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club, in Medinah Illinois, US, September 27, 2026…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump admin silent as American teen jailed and beaten without charge by US ally: report
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on ahead of expected trilateral signing event with US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen…
Systemic Error PodcastJack Smith cracks down as MAGA senator attacks wife: 'Not going to speak about my family’
Jack Smith, former special counsel at the Justice Department, attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September…
Systemic Error PodcastTrump is stopping you from getting richer: A renowned economist explains
REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz What happened AlterNet’s answer is that President Donald Trump is reducing Americans’ chances of becoming richer by weakening the…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP insiders warn Trump going to snap and chase revenge: ex-staffer
President Donald Trump looks on as he exits Air Force One on his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026…
Systemic Error Podcast'MAGA cult' dying as Trump 'superfans' call for impeachment
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One, en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., following a two-day visit to…
Systemic Error PodcastLate-night report sends Trump into a social media death spiral
REUTERS/Nathan Howard What happened AlterNet reports that President Donald Trump used Truth Social to deny an Axios report that his administration was open to…
Systemic Error PodcastGOP senator silenced as he sneers at Jack Smith: 'You make me want to throw up’
Jack Smith, former special counsel at the Justice Department, arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at Capitol Hill in Washington…
Systemic Error Podcast'My God': Karoline Leavitt shamed after major math goof blows up 'lunatic' attack
Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 10, 2026…
Systemic Error Podcast'It's his fault': GOP operatives in frenzy as calamity forces Trump to deep red states
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after exiting Air Force One as he returns from Medinah, Illinois, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September…
Systemic Error PodcastNatalie Harp's first devotion wasn't Trump — it was a hellfire pastor who helped him win
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive assistant Natalie Harp listens as Trump speaks during a meeting with travel executives in the Oval Office at the White…
Systemic Error PodcastSarah Sanders incenses right-wing as welfare attack ad backfires: 'Hating young white men’
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare…
Systemic Error PodcastThis mystery has MAGA women punching themselves hard in the face
A “MAGA Mom” hat lies on the ground as Kristi Noem testifies before a House committee. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper What happened RawStory’s column argues that the…
Systemic Error Podcast'This is what you like!' Fury after Sean Hannity backpedals defense of Jack Smith attack
Television presenter Sean Hannity speaks during the funeral service for late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Washington National Cathedral in Washington…
Systemic Error PodcastSupreme Court hands Trump a major victory in stunning reversal
U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for their group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. Seated (L-R): Justices Sonia Sotomayor…
Systemic Error PodcastThe fatal mistake that just blew up a decades-old Republican strategy
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein What happened The “fatal mistake,” according to AlterNet, was one of timing: Republican officials backed policies and crises, then…
Systemic Error Podcast'We had been conned': Heartland voters are having a change of heart
(REUTERS) What happened AlterNet published commentary by Ben Palen, a fifth-generation farmer and agriculture consultant, who says several farmers he spoke…
Systemic Error PodcastJim Jordan 'will fail miserably': Legal expert wrecks GOP’s Jack Smith ploy
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith raises his hand to swear in, before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 22…
Systemic Error PodcastFox host declares Trump can’t fix his 'big problem' — and the GOP will pay
US President Donald Trump attends National Design Studio launch event for America.gov, a new AI-powered government website, at the Mellon Auditorium in…
Systemic Error PodcastRevealed: WSJ tracks down where Trump’s ad money came from
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for a state visit to Britain, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., September 16, 2025. REUTERS…
Systemic Error PodcastRepublican calls out Trump’s weaponization of DOJ in live Senate hearing
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) attends a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual…
Systemic Error Podcast'This is bad': Enormous blunder spotted in Trump's 'taxpayer-funded' ad
Donald Trump in taxpayer-funded ad (MS NOW screenshot) What happened RawStory reports that a U.S. government-funded advertisement featuring President Donald…