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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The government is in another shutdown. This time, it's only a partial one. Every agency inside DHS isn't being funded, except ICE.

Grant explains the 10 demands Democrats have and why two of them are already non-starters for Republicans who are looking to capitalize on the crises to force through their voter ID bill.

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.

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
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YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
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Grant is joined by Eric Czuleger, the voice behind The Under Report, which covers foreign policy, open-source intelligence operations, and what's really happening outside the borders of the US.

Most if Eric thinks is part of what he calls "strategic abandonment" by the US; the idea that the US is breaking old alliances and abandoning long-term agreements in favor of short-term wins.

PLUS, what was the deal with the panic at the Southern Border over Dept. of Defense drones?

LINKS:

The Under Report Newsletter

The Under Report Podcast

You Are Not Here

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.

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

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
TikTok: @mimsnewspod
Substack: mimsnewspod.substack.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
X: @GrantHermes
Insta/TikTok: GrantHermesTV

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As the Senate takes up the House's voter ID bill, Grant explains what's in it. Known as the SAVE America Act, along with its partner bill the MEGA Act, Republicans are hoping to make it harder to vote by imposing strict rules on who can register to vote (which already exist), showing proof of citizenship at the polls, and ending the popular mail-in voting rules.

Grant breaks down what's behind these bills and why we know they aren't actually needed... unless you're trying to stop certain people from voting.

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.

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

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
TikTok: @mimsnewspod
Substack: mimsnewspod.substack.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
X: @GrantHermes
Insta/TikTok: GrantHermesTV

SPONSORS AND ADS:
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Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are getting increasingly angry with the Department of Justice and the president after they were supposed to have been given access to unredacted Epstein files.

Instead, what they got were files that lacked victim protections and went out of their way to protect potential co-conspirators, in direct violation of the law.

Grant breaks down what we know from members of Congress, whether Trump is going to give a pardon to a convicted sex offender, and whether dominoes in his cabinet might start falling as a cover-up is being exposed.

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.

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

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
TikTok: @mimsnewspod
Substack: mimsnewspod.substack.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
X: @GrantHermes
Insta/TikTok: GrantHermesTV

SPONSORS AND ADS:
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Grant is joined by Michael McNulty to talk about a wild week of the federal government attempted to interfere in the 2026 elections.

McNulty is an elections expert with promoting democracy in authoritarian countries and is now Policy Director at the bipartisan non-profit Issue One.

They talk about Trump's push to "nationalize" elections, what the latest round of voting bills would mean for voters, and a brand new report from Issue One about election workers leaving their positions in droves as election conspiracies and threats against workers have spiked since 2020.

LINKS:

Issue One

Election worker turnover report

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.

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

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
TikTok: @mimsnewspod
Substack: mimsnewspod.substack.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
X: @GrantHermes
Insta/TikTok: GrantHermesTV

SPONSORS AND ADS:
Our listeners are smart, loyal, and tuned in — and your brand could be too.
Let’s work together. For sponsorships and custom ad spots, reach out to ads@matchbookmediapod.com

Grant talks to Former ICE Assistant Director for policy Scott Shuchart. Scott served in both DHS as a senior advisor for civil rights during the Obama and first Trump Administrations and as the AD for policy at ICE under Joe Biden.

The two talk about how far ICE and DHS have fallen from their original mission and what Tom Homan is really doing in Minneapolis. PLUS the big question, what it would mean to dismantle ICE, and why Scott says it needs to happen.

LINKS:

https://www.scottshuchart.com/

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.

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

Support the show

Follow along on social media

X: @mimsnewspod
Instagram: @mimsnewspod
TikTok: @mimsnewspod
Substack: mimsnewspod.substack.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod
Bluesky: Granthermes.bsky.social

Follow Grant:
X: @GrantHermes
Insta/TikTok: GrantHermesTV

SPONSORS AND ADS:
Our listeners are smart, loyal, and tuned in — and your brand could be too.
Let’s work together. For sponsorships and custom ad spots, reach out to ads@matchbookmediapod.com