The 2026 midterm election is shaping up to be the most expensive in American history, with the combined races for Senate already reaching the $5 billion. Ad spending is expected to break $10 billion as billionaires, corporations, and dark money groups spend money to elect candidates to do their bidding, much of it without the public ever being able to know who is spending a single dime.

Grant is joined by Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United. She explains how we got to this moment, going back to the Supreme Court decision in 2008, how we've seen how money in politics has changed, and how our politics has changed because of the money. They also talk about the steps we can all take to make the system more open and fair, which is good for everyone.

LINKS:

End Citizens United

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In a bombshell piece of news, Donald Trump announced that Kristi Noem would no longer be the Secretary of Homeland Security. After several big scandals, some really bad hearings on Capitol Hill and a major mistake of saying the president approved a $220 million ad campaign, Noem was fired.

In her place Trump named Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin who is best known for trying to start a fight with the head of the Teamsters during a Senate hearing.

Grant explains what went wrong for Noem, why Mullin was Trump's choice, and whether more firings are on their way.

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You’re stressed. You’re reading the news. You’re probably not sleeping great. Your skin knows.

Facial in a Bottle is a single product that does the work of a full professional facial — at home, in minutes. Clean ingredients, real results, no appointment required. No awkward small talk with a stranger touching your face. Just results.

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After three days of the Iran War, the reason the US struck first is still shifting target for the Trump administration as it tries to make its case to the American people about how and why the US is at war again in the Middle East.

Grant explains how peace talks ended and how the President and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu worked to make a plan to attack Iran amid the talks. He also goes through the long list of changing justifications for the war that, at the time of recording, is being waged without legal approval.

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This episode is brought to you by Facial in a Bottle by Love Indus.

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Grant talks to the author, journalist, activist Cory Doctorow, about his recent article calling for Democrats to create a Nuremberg Caucus to hold federal agents, administration officials, and elected leaders accountable after the Trump era is over. But, instead of building those cases when Republicans are out of power, he wants them to start collecting evidence, out in the open, right away.

He explains his ideas about how it would work, about why Americans might go for it, and why it might change the way both parties AND corporations approach politics.

LINKS:

The Nuremberg Caucus

Cory Doctorow

Enshitification

The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI (out soon)

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During his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump made his usual sweeping statements, false claims, and insults at Democrats.

But in what was a very long (1 hr and 47min!) speech, he left two key things out. In fact, they were two of his signature policy agendas for the year. ICE deployments and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Grant breaks down why it's interesting that those were left on the cutting room floor, why they might have been cut in the first place, and what that means for Republicans staring down the barrel of some very bad midterm prediction numbers.

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MANTRA MATCHA

If coffee makes you alert and deeply unwell, it might be time to switch it up.

Mantra Matcha offers ceremonial-grade matcha sourced from a private hillside farm in Uji, Japan. It’s smooth, naturally sweet, and delivers calm, focused energy—no jitters, no crash.

Why we like it:

• 137x more antioxidants than regular green tea
• Supports metabolism, focus, and overall wellness
• Six superfood-infused flavors (Banana Cacao, Strawberry Lemon, Cinnamon Goji Berry, and more)
• Every box helps provide a meal to a child in need through No Kid Hungry

Get 15% off at mantramatcha.com with code MIMS25
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Less chaos. More clarity. Two things we could all use right now.

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Donald Trump gives his first true State of the Union speech to Congress since becoming president for a second time. It just might be the most important speech in his political legacy.

Trump is going into this speech as weak as he's ever been. His approval ratings are the lowest they've been, as are the approvals of his handling of every top issue, and the belief that he's fit to do the job.

Grant explains what you can expect to hear and what the Democrats are going to have to do to make this night work for them, because they have their own fight to worry about

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Grant brings Eric Czuleger back on the show for the very first back-to-back guest on Make It Make Sense.

With the largest military buildup in the Middle East since 2002 happening right now and President Donald Trump promising a "limited strike" in Iran, the world is on edge... again.

Grant and Eric talk about how the US got here, why it's different than the last time the US bombed Iran, and whether the US is about to get into another war in the Middle East.

LINKS:

The Under Report Newsletter

The Under Report Podcast

The Under Report on TikTok

PROMO CODES:

MANTRA MATCHA

If coffee makes you alert and deeply unwell, it might be time to switch it up.

Mantra Matcha offers ceremonial-grade matcha sourced from a private hillside farm in Uji, Japan. It’s smooth, naturally sweet, and delivers calm, focused energy—no jitters, no crash.

Why we like it:

• 137x more antioxidants than regular green tea
• Supports metabolism, focus, and overall wellness
• Six superfood-infused flavors (Banana Cacao, Strawberry Lemon, Cinnamon Goji Berry, and more)
• Every box helps provide a meal to a child in need through No Kid Hungry

Get 15% off at mantramatcha.com with code MIMS25
That code also supports Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes with a 15% commission.

https://mantramatcha.com/

Less chaos. More clarity. Two things we could all use right now.

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Donald Trump ran for president promising to make Americans richer and bring prices down, starting on day one. So far, that's not panning out.

The cost of the ICE and troop deployments to US cities and around the globe has ballooned into the billions. Despite promising it would bring in money to the US, Trump's tariffs have cost Americans billions of dollars out of their own pockets. So have the president's pet projects like his Board of Peace, a new HHS led global health agency and a "Golden Dome" missile plan.

Grant breaks all of it down and brings receipts.

MANTRA MATCHA

If coffee makes you alert and deeply unwell, it might be time to switch it up.

Mantra Matcha offers ceremonial-grade matcha sourced from a private hillside farm in Uji, Japan. It’s smooth, naturally sweet, and delivers calm, focused energy—no jitters, no crash.

Why we like it:

• 137x more antioxidants than regular green tea
• Supports metabolism, focus, and overall wellness
• Six superfood-infused flavors (Banana Cacao, Strawberry Lemon, Cinnamon Goji Berry, and more)
• Every box helps provide a meal to a child in need through No Kid Hungry

Get 15% off at mantramatcha.com with code MIMS25
That code also supports Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes with a 15% commission.

Less chaos. More clarity. Two things we could all use right now.

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