Grounded with Jon Tester & Maritsa Georgiou

Big thanks to former White House counsel Ty Cobb for joining us on Grounded this morning. We shared some laughs and also talked about some very serious concerns about the rule of law, the Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, the president’s threats to pull out of NATO, and more. Plus, how he came to work for the first Trump administration and his memories of his friend, former FBI director Robert Mueller.

We could have done an entire episode about the lengthy Trump cabinet meeting at the White House earlier today, including the 5 minutes spent talking about pens and sharpies (Yes, really). We cover a little bit of that with THE Sharon McMahon, America’s Government Teacher, author of The Preamble on Substack and also The Small and the Mighty (with newly illustrated version We Are Mighty out May 19). We also dive into other topics like the war in Iran, concerns about the 2026 election, and the lessons learned from the people of Minnesota. Plus, a spicier version of Sharon and why she says hope is the most grounded stance available to us.

If you’re worried about the future, Knowa De Baraso should help ease some concerns. The 14-year-old podcast host and political phenom is not only engaged—he’s bold. You may remember Knowa from the viral clip of him confronting the conspiracy peddling (and now Minnesota gubernatorial candidate) Mike Lindell at the 2024 DNC. We talk about how he became interested in politics, his plans to be active in the 2026 midterms, and what leaders need to do to reach the next generation. Plus, JT doesn’t hold back on recent headlines from a Pentagon press briefing.

We owe the parents of Kalpana Narlikar and Leo Auerbach an apology. A few weeks ago, we recorded a conversation with these two Georgetown University undergrads. Between the State of the Union and a new war, I completely forgot we had it on deck. Narlikar and Auerbach are students in JT’s discussion group this semester at Georgetown. They were kind enough to sit down with us to chat about the issues most important to their generation, how they view the political landscape, and also what gives them hope. Don’t miss the broken chair that is sure to become a new inside Grounded joke. We hit on bipartisan conversations, ICE policies, the national debt, artificial intelligence, and normalized mayhem. “We don’t know anything different than the pandemonium and the craziness that we’re seeing,” Auerbach said. “I don’t think our generation knows a normal politics. I don’t think we know decorum, I don’t think we know diplomacy, and I don’t think we know dialogue.” Ahead of our conversation with the students, we break down the Georgia special election results, the latest on Iran, the shoes making political headlines, and more reflections on Montana political bombshells.

Dover Air Force Base received another fallen U.S. soldier Monday night as a result of the war in Iran. The Pentagon says Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky died Sunday from injuries he sustained in an attack March 1 on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. There’s no audio on the recorded feed, which punctuates the sober reality of this moment. We talk about the latest Iran updates with Tara Setmayer, who is the co-founder and CEO of the Seneca Project and also a longtime political commentator and former GOP communications director. We discuss the mixed messages from the administration on the status of this war in Iran, renewed threats against Cuba, and a new video that appears to show a U.S. tomahawk missile hitting near a school where 168 people—mostly kids— were killed. She also talks about leaving the Republican party, messaging musts for successful political campaigns in 2026, and primary season infighting. Plus, Trump’s new threats about overhauling our voting laws ahead of the midterms.

To quote one of the many text messages I received Wednesday, what the hell is happening in Montana?!?!?! First it was Rep. Ryan Zinke announcing he wouldn't run for reelection days before the deadline to file in Montana. Not to be outdone, Sen. Steve Daines made a similar shocking move just minutes before the deadline to file, sparking confusion and, for some, anger. In the middle of it all, former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar made months of chatter official, filing to run for U.S. Senate as an independent. We chat about the massive political news, how it could shape the 2026 midterms as a whole, and also some other political headlines in this baby episode of Grounded.

It’s hard to keep track of the latest developments in the new U.S. war in Iran, mostly because we are seeing conflicting information coming from the administration—including differing timelines and justifications. Part of the justification given for this new war has circled around Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with Trump on Saturday saying Iran attempted to rebuild its nuclear program. This is subject matter Tom Countryman knows intimately well. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation. From 1994 to 1997 he was the special advisor to United States Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright on Middle East affairs. He was on his way to an arms control conference in 2017 when Trump relieved him of his duties. We discuss the justifications, the timing of the attack, the negotiations it interrupted, and what this means for the future of diplomacy. How does Iran function without a government or organized opposition? Plus, what keeps him up at night and the very real scenarios he sees as a threat.

We woke up Saturday morning to the news that the U.S. is at war with Iran. By Sunday morning, we learned of the deaths of three U.S. service members and a promise of retaliation from Iran after U.S. and Israeli strikes took out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with dozens of other senior leaders. As we recorded this live episode, there are still so many unanswered questions. What comes next? Could more hardline forces take over? What does threatened retaliation look like? Is this about nuclear weapons and missiles? Why is the president posting on Truth Social about Iran meddling in the 2020 election? Is there any kind of plan? What’s the exit strategy? We could go on. Thanks to journalist Kevin Baron for joining us to chat through it. Baron served as the vice president of the Pentagon Press Association and also covered the Pentagon for many years. We discuss the parallel to other Middle Eastern conflicts, the motivation for this campaign, the timing, and what (more specifically, who) was missing at the Pentagon this weekend. Plus, what does regime change look like without organized opposition in Iran? Will there be a democratic process to put new leadership in power? What kind of extremism could arise? And what questions would Baron be asking if he were still at the Pentagon? We don’t have all the answers, but it’s a good start to lay out where we are and the concerns that exist.

If we’re the frogs, it’s getting hot in here (And no, JT hasn’t heard the 2002 Nelly hit of the same name). Thanks to former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance for joining us live on Substack to dissect a plethora of headlines, why we’re (again) the frogs in the increasingly hot pot of water, and the importance of civil discourse in this moment. Plus, the individual actions that keep Vance an optimist, and why she’s confident we won’t see the nationalization of elections. We also spend time discussing her book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy, which combines lessons on history and civics and provides a roadmap for survival. Oh, and chickens—both literal and figurative.

A conversation between JT and MG about Maritsa's trip to Social Circle, Georgia in partnership with the Save America Movement. That's where the Dept. of Homeland Security recently purchased a newly built (and totally unfinished) warehouse for $128.6 million to be used for an ICE detention facility. We discuss what people in the town of 5,000 are saying, the red flags raised by experts on federal real estate, and the major concerns city officials have about the proposed project. Plus, the shocking timeline for when the federal government expects to move in its first inmates.

With floated plans to nationalize elections, calls for armed federal forces at the polls, and the FBI raid of the Fulton County, Georgia election hub, and the SAVE Act, there's a lot to discuss before this year's midterm elections. David Becker, prominent election security expert, lawyer, and the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research (https://electioninnovation.org/) joins Grounded to dissect the ongoing (and disproven) claims of mass voter fraud, the relitigation of the 2020 election results and what the persistent conspiracy theories are actually costing the American people. Plus, the conspiracy theory that drives him the most crazy and why he advocates for early in-person voting.

Ellie Leonard’s interest in the Jeffrey Epstein story started last year on a trip to Montana (where she has deep roots), and she wanted to better understand the story’s connection to Donald Trump. Fast forward to the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Leonard has been downloading and meticulously sifting through the DOJ releases page by page. Leonard joins Grounded's first episode of Season 2 to describe how she first started piecing things together, ways she uncovers redacted information in the DOJ document dumps, and the now massive community that has coalesced around (and adds to) her work. Come for the Epstein discussion, stay for the nerdy chatter about north central Montana.

Jon Tester set a new record for the number of phone calls that interrupted our live stream today—but that’s part of the deal when you work with a farmer who still has a landline. Alas, no calls from sitting senators today. We wanted to hop on for a quick(ish) chat about a few of the headlines from this week in politics. We start with Attorney General Pam Bondi’s performance on Capitol Hill. How would Jon Tester have reacted if he were on the receiving end of her “burn book” insults? We also go over the House’s passage of the SAVE Act, the announced end of ICE’s Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and conditions in ICE detention facilities. Plus, two big legal wins this week for Democratic lawmakers who made a video that urged military members to refuse illegal orders.

It fortuitously lined up on the calendar to have Rachel Maddow as our guest to mark one year of Grounded. We talked seriously about the moment we’re in and what keeps her up at night. We also discussed what’s working, including the pushback that’s been a theme of Maddow’s show for many years. Maddow discusses how she hardens herself against threats, the future of news consumption, and how to beat the uncertainty that lies ahead. What would she ask Donald Trump if she interviewed him? What’s the scariest interview she’s ever done? What do Democrats need to do to win again? Plus, she gives us a sneak peak at her new book project she’s been working on all year. It’s a wide ranging conversation that will leave you with a lot to think about. Maybe you’ve been here from the start, and maybe you’re new to Grounded. We want to thank all of you. The truth is, we have the same questions, frustrations, and concerns as so many of you. We started this to try to make sense of the chaos. To stay grounded: in facts, in reason, in community. Let’s keep going. There’s more work to do.

2026 has already been a long year, which means we didn’t get to a fraction of the questions we had for former Rep. Adam Kinzinger. He tells us why he’s not immediately losing sleep over proposals to nationalize elections, but also what voters can do to ease concerns. Kinzinger has long been the focus of Donald Trump’s ire, especially since he was one of only two Republicans who served on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. With news that Trump is going to start holding daily meetings to focus on prosecuting his political enemies, Kinzinger has said he’s not worried, scared or intimidated. Kinzinger talks about putting country over party—calling out lies, defending democratic norms, and accepting the political fallout that came with it. Plus, don’t miss his answer when asked about running for president.