Chapo Trap House

1011 - National BurgerReich Association feat. Pablo Torre (2/17/26) by Chapo Trap House

Havana-based journalist Liz Oliva Fernández of Belly of the Beast joins us for an interview about the economic siege of Cuba by the United States. We talk about the looming specter of regime change and the collapse of Cuba’s healthcare system and power under the weight of a decades-long blockade. (NOTE: Liz’s connection was a little spotty so the ending of the interview is a little abrupt.) [This is the second half of our recent premium episode. If you would like to hear the first half where Felix and Will recap recent news such as the El Paso airspace closure and James Fishback's run for governor, subscribe to patreon.com/chapotraphouse]. Watch The War on Cuba: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/the-war-on-cuba

Alex Nichols is back to recap Turning Point USA’s alternative halftime show featuring Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, and Gabby Barnett. We also read a Tablet article complaining that Robert Kraft’s #StopJewishHate Super Bowl ad was too woke and before checking in on some old friends (including Megan McArdle) trying to downplay the significance of the Epstein scandal. Tickets for our ten year show are going fast, so buy now: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0900643BE404F182 Follow Chapo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraphousereal/ And Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chapotraphousereal.bsky.social

David Roth returns to talk about the newest avalanche of Epstein files and what they tell us about the depravity of our elites and the West as a whole. We run through a gauntlet of incriminating emails with Larry Summers, Peter Mandelson, Peter Attia, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and more. Then, to lighten the mood, we talk about a profile of Woah Nancy and her poor staffers, plus a tip about Marie Concentrationcamp Perez. Find David’s work at Defector here: https://defector.com/author/david-roth Tickets for our ten year show are going fast, so buy now: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0900643BE404F182 Follow the new Chapo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraphousereal/ And Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chapotraphousereal.bsky.social

Will and Felix talk about the horrific killing of Alex Pretti. We talk about the execution, the man Alex was, why the right despises him, the inspiring response of the people of Minnesota, and reasons to hope that we haven’t irreversibly opened the gates of Hell. We also talk about the public responses, ranging from the bizarre justifications from Mike Cernovich and JD Vance to Sohrab Amari’s attempt at aloofness to the [???] from Tom Friedman. Plus: Marie Glusenkamp Perez dealing the shittiest weed in the world. Katherine’s article at The Intercept is out: https://theintercept.com/2026/01/25/tony-dokoupil-cbs-evening-news/  Follow the new Chapo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraphousereal/ And Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chapotraphousereal.bsky.social

Chapo Foreign Policy correspondent Derek Davison returns to talk about the decades that have been happening these past few weeks. We stop at Iran and cover the protests and the possible involvement of Israeli weaponry; at Syria, where Rojava and the SDF have all but capitulated to Ahmed al-Sharaa; at Greenland, where the potential of an inter-NATO conflict grows, and in Israel, where Trump attempts to do freemium diplomacy. Finally, we read a piece about the Brandon administration acquiring The Device. Find all of Derek’s foreign policy coverage at: www.foreignexchanges.news www.americanprestigepod.com

Over the holiday, Will and Chris caught up with Donald Borenstein, Andrew Epstein and Debbie Saslaw of the Mamdani media team to discuss how their video and online strategy helped win the campaign’s stunning victory. We look at their team’s success as the result of years of NYC organizing, how the candidate’s principles and policy informed the media strategy, the right and wrong lessons on political communication from their campaign, and the bizarre outsider art of Adams & Cuomo’s video output. PLUS: production, editing, color grading & gear talk for all you A/V heads.

Minnesotan community member Maryam Mohamad joins us to talk about the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the siege of Minneapolis by ICE and the DHS. We talk about the events and prosecutions that put the Somali community in the crosshairs, the regime’s attempt to spin this execution as self-defense, Border Patrol and ICE’s recent history of excessive force, and the predictably weak response from Democratic electeds. Maryam also talks about the Minneapolis and Somali community’s reactions to these horrors and their unwillingness to take this lying down. Follow Maryam on twitter @messyventura Just a few more days to buy the 2nd printing of ¡No Pasarán!: Matt Christman's Spanish Civil War over at chapotraphouse.store Year Zero: A Chapo Trap House Comics Anthology is also 15% off at badegg.co. Through end of year purchases of the book also include a free digital version of the comic. The digital version is also available through GlobalComix. Follow the new Chapo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraph

We return from break to talk about the horrific kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro and the continuing moral depravity of the gangster state called America. We speculate on what this act of imperial aggression means for the rest of the world, the hilarious snubbing of the Venezuelan opposition, the predictably inept response from the Democratic party, and the hope that someone, somewhere, can stop the Fourth Reich’s plans. Finally, we read a recent Wall Street Journal piece on Trump’s aging and addiction to aspirin. Subscribe to patreon.com/chapotraphouse to hear our 1000th episode on Thursday! Just a few more days to buy the 2nd printing of ¡No Pasarán!: Matt Christman's Spanish Civil War over at chapotraphouse.store Year Zero: A Chapo Trap House Comics Anthology is also 15% off at badegg.co. Through end of year purchases of the book also include a free digital version of the comic. The digital version is also available through GlobalComix. Follow the new Chapo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraphou

To round out a very dark year, Will and Felix take a look at some grim stories: the Brown shooter’s identity, another Epstein drop, Bari Weiss’s promotion to Regime Censor, and Jelly Roll being pardoned. We then turn to the TPUSA conference where the fight for Charlie Kirk’s legacy continues, with Nicki Minaj joining the fray and JD Vance working overtime to hold together a splintering coalition. Finally, we dive into a City Journal panel on the state of the modern right, where we learn what Gen Z conservatives think about Jews, Hitler, and marriage. By popular demand, ¡No Pasarán! Matt Christman's Spanish Civil War is back both for a second round of orders and an ebook. PLUS: everything is still 20% off for the holidays! Order now at https://chapotraphouse.store/ Year Zero: A Chapo Trap House Comics Anthology is also 15% off at badegg.co. Through end of year purchases of the book also include a free digital version of the comic. The digital version also available through GlobalComix. Follow the new Chapo

Alex joins us to talk about Bari Weiss’s bizarre interview with Erika Kirk, Trump’s #PACKWATCH response to Rob Reiner’s death, and Candace Owens’ feud with just about every single member of Con Inc. over her bestie’s legacy. After a brief grab bag of new Epstein photos, we finally stage an intervention for Rod Dreher, who is currently having his artistic voice deteriorated by the stuffy losers at The Free Press. By popular demand, ¡No Pasarán! Matt Christman's Spanish Civil War is back both for a second round of orders and an ebook. PLUS: everything is still 20% off for the holidays! Order now at https://chapotraphouse.store/ Year Zero: A Chapo Trap House Comics Anthology is also 15% off at badegg.co. Through end of year purchases of the book also include a free digital version of the comic. The digital version also available through GlobalComix. Follow the new Chapo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapotraphousereal/

Andrew Hudson of E1 returns to talk about a grab bag of recent news: Marie Glusenkamp Perez’s war on pinnipeds, Alex Karp’s tweaked-out media hits, and another vaccine on the RFK’s chopping block. We then turn to Milo Yiannopoulos, who just recently made the equally outrageous claims that Charlie Kirk is still alive and Benny Johnson is actually gay. Finally, Tarantino’s unbearable public persona, the Ellison-Zaslav war over Warner Bros.’ future, and a lot of praise for a recent genre movie. Listen to Episode 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/episode-one-868768631 And subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/e1podcast/posts

Author and journalist Seth Harp returns for an interview about the National Guard shooting in D.C. We analyze the accused shooter, his time in covert “Zero Units,” and we also speculate about the ramifications of Pete Hegseth’s double-tap order in the Caribbean. To close things out, Will and Felix talk about Bari Weiss’s plan to return America to the reasonable center and react to the viral Oklahoma University essay on why God made man and woman different. Buy Seth’s book here (and give it 5 stars on Amazon!): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730414/the-fort-bragg-cartel-by-seth-harp/ And follow him on X at @sethharpesq

SARAH SQUIRM: LIVE + IN THE FLESH, debuts on HBO and HBO Max December 12th. We command you to tune in! Sarah Squirm joins us once again to speculate on Zohran’s meeting with Trump: is Trump starstruck? In love? Depressed? We also talk about the president’s plan to bring back the Rush Hour movies, the secrets of the White House swimming pool, a reverse Jussie Smollett situation in Ocean City, and shitting yourself. A lot of stories about shitting yourself. Follow Sarah on Twitter/X: https://x.com/SarahSquirm And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahsquirm/?hl=en

This episode isn’t just great—it’ll revolutionize what you think of AI. Ed Zitron is back in the trap to discuss his recent reporting on just how much money companies like OpenAI have (and how much they’re burning). We talk about the byzantine financing of generative AI and LLMs, the tech world’s dream of recreating the postwar boom with a technology primarily used to make the world’s least legal porn, and the proliferation of data centers across the country. Plus: Bill Ackman teaches you how to pick up girls. Get your Ed at: Better Offline podcast: https://linktr.ee/betteroffline Where’s Your Ed At newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/edzitron Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com

As we inch closer to war with Venezuela, historian Greg Grandin returns to Chapo for a history lesson about the War on Drugs as well as Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. We also talk about the US’s long-running economic interests and petty feuds in Latin America, particularly regarding the region’s oil supplies. We then briefly speculate about just how bad and chaotic a regime change operation against Venezuela might be for the US and Latin America.

Jasper Nathaniel is back with another report from the occupied West Bank. He tells us about a band of West Bank settlers attacking him and locals in the olive fields of Turmus’ayya, including an old woman who was beaten unconscious on camera. He then talks about the Israeli military and intelligence’s response to the crime, the footage actually breaking through to the mainstream Anglophone press, and various U.S. Senators’ response to the attack. Finally, he closes with speculation about Trump and Netanyahu’s refusal to sign on to an official West Bank annexation. Follow Jasper’s substack: https://substack.com/@infinitejaz Follow Jasper on Twitter: https://x.com/infinite__jaz?lang=en Follow Jasper on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/infinite_jaz/?hl=en And links for Volunteering in the West Bank: To volunteer in the West Bankhttps://palsolidarity.org/join-ism/https://www.defendpalestine.orghttps://cjnv.orgFundraiser for Umm Al-Khair as it faces impending demolition: https://secure.everyaction.com/LYmVAbNl

Candidate for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joins us to catch up on the final few days of the campaign. Will and Zohran discuss Andrew Cuomo’s embarrassing campaign against him, how he plans to protect New Yorkers from Trump’s threatened federal incursions into the city, NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch, and how he intends to implement his agenda in the first 100 days as mayor. Plus, how da Knicks looking this year? Election day in NYC is TUESDAY, November 4th, but early voting is now open. Sign up to canvass or phone: zohranfornyc.com/gotv Find out where you vote: zohranfornyc.com/vote

It’s a call-in show! We respond to nineteen calls ranging from serious predictions about the Trump era and beyond, the future of the Middle East, Warren Zevon stories, books for kids and high schoolers, and trying to wean a friend off H3H3. Also: gossip about John Fetterman and Jair Bolsonaro. YEAR ZERO: A Chapo Trap House Comic Anthology is back on sale! Buy it at badegg.co/products/year-zero-1. Hurry while supplies last!

Secret Base’s sports-data auteur Jon Bois is back to preview a new series: a history and analysis of mound charges in baseball, coming this November. We talk a little bit about recent sports news including Dana White’s new boxing league, Shohei Ohtani’s generational run, and the Seattle Mariners (RIP). We then do a deep dive on former Reform Party member Curtis Sliwa, his statements about parades, Hasids, and cats, and his eating competition scandals. Finally, a quick check-in on Jordan Peterson’s recent health woes. Subscribe to Secret Base: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRmGMSgrtZkOsh_NQl4_xw YEAR ZERO: A Chapo Trap House Comic Anthology is back on sale! Buy it at badegg.co/products/year-zero-1. Hurry while supplies last! NEW MERCH IS OUT NOW! Go to https://chapotraphouse.store/ and buy a new hat or shirt, especially our great new “Carousel Club” design. AND be sure to pre-save the date of October 28 for Will and Hesse’s LIVE WATCH PARTY of Re-Animator with Bryan Yuzna! Tickets available now – use