November 26, 2025 - Adele Stan | Julia Loktev

·1 hr·5 clips

A shooting of National Guardsmen in Washington D.C. raises fears Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act.

The episode opens with breaking news of a shooting of two National Guardsmen from West Virginia at a metro stop in Washington D.C., with the suspect wounded. Ian Masters introduces Adele Stan, an independent journalist covering the U.S. right-wing, to analyze the incident. Stan describes speaking to young, bored National Guard troops deployed unnecessarily in D.C., noting they face threats and are symbolic targets. She explains that Trump's deployment of over 2,000 troops from red states violates posse comitatus laws but faces no judicial check due to a corrupted Supreme Court. Stan warns that Trump's aim is to provoke enough violence to justify invoking the Insurrection Act, potentially leading to martial law and suspended elections. She mentions figures like Stephen Miller and J.D. Vance as influencers pushing authoritarian tactics. After a break, the episode shifts to an interview with Russian-American filmmaker Julia Loktev. She discusses her documentary following young Russian journalists, including Anna Nemza and others, as Putin's regime labels them 'foreign agents' and shuts down independent media ahead of the Ukraine invasion. Loktev explains how these journalists use humor and references like Harry Potter to cope while fighting from within until forced to flee. She draws parallels to the U.S., where Trump's administration uses lawsuits and oligarch takeovers of media like CBS to mimic authoritarian strategies. The conversation explores how both regimes start with legalistic measures before escalating repression. Loktev notes the difficulty of gauging Russian public opinion under censorship but highlights how exiled journalists continue reaching audiences via VPNs. The interview concludes with discussions on Trump's transactional foreign policy regarding Ukraine and Putin's long-term war strategy.

As heard by us

A measured look at crisis politics in Washington and the everyday costs of silencing journalists.

The episode opens on the shooting of two National Guardsmen from West Virginia, using the urgency of the moment to ask how political power might move around an unsettled event.

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Why you'd press play

You want a breaking-news conversation that asks who might try to use the shock.

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