# Politics Chat, April 23, 2026

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/politics-chat-7679179/politics-chat-april-23-2026
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/politics-chat-7679179/politics-chat-april-23-2026.md
Podcast: [Politics Chat](https://stenobird.com/podcast/politics-chat-7679179)
Published: 2026-04-24T02:57:12+00:00
Episode link: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/politics-chat-april-23-2026-3d0
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/195309204/7c7c5945c1895cc7057e251e05f515aa.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/politics-chat-7679179/episodes/politics-chat-april-23-2026
Duration seconds: 2555

## Resource

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan's firing, Pete Hegseth's consolidation of power within the Pentagon, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer's shift from sworn hearings to roundtables, the Epstein Files Transparency Act and DOJ's partial release, Pam Bondi's contempt proceedings, Todd Blanch in as Acting Attorney General, the Strait of Hormuz closure and stalled Iran negotiations, UAE request for U.S. Treasury backstop, Trump family cryptocurrency dealings, the Southern Poverty Law Center indictment, DOJ settlements with Michael Flynn and Carter Page, Senate votes on ICE funding and FISA Section 702 reauthorization.Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET).Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/EvVPhRv8qU0?si=P5_WFiKCHE4Bf47G Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

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## Transcript

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