3660 - Platner Smear Flops; The Screwworm Cometh w/ Jeet Heer

The New York Times' highly anticipated exposé on Graham Plattner, a Democratic candidate in Maine, has collapsed into a public relations fiasco, revealing not a scandal but a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated by a network of right-wing and centrist establishment figures. The piece, which promised explosive allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, instead relied on a single, politically motivated accuser—a Republican operative with a history of crafting pro-Kavanaugh messaging—and failed to corroborate even the most serious claims. The timing, the vague online hints, and the involvement of figures like Bethany Mandel and Neera Tanden suggest a deliberate effort to derail Plattner’s anti-establishment candidacy, not a journalistic investigation. Meanwhile, the episode dissects the deeper systemic failures: the Pentagon’s abandonment of screw worm prevention, leading to a potentially devastating outbreak in U.S. cattle, and the Democratic establishment’s refusal to field a credible alternative to Plattner, opting instead for a non-campaigning figure like Janet Mills. The show also highlights the constitutional crisis over the War Powers Resolution, which Congress passed to rein in presidential war-making authority—only to face potential Supreme Court invalidation. In a surreal twist, Trump’s obsession with his 250th birthday party overshadows the nation’s actual history, turning patriotism into a grotesque spectacle.