The Progress Pondcast

The Progress Pondcast

Cantankerous progressive commentary on news, politics, culture, and whatever else we're complaining about this week. Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProgressPondcast martinlongman.substack.com

Episodes

July 24, 2025 80 mins

Marty and Brendan go all conspiracy-minded on you, with explorations into the new JFK assassination revelations and—of course—the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.


For more on the Kennedy assassination, Marty recommends "What Jane Roman Said."

For more on Whitey Bulger, Brendan recommends both "Black Mass," by Dick Lehr and the first season of the "Crimetown" podcast.

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This episode: Trump's unhappy birthday; Re-renaming military bases; Both-sidesing the political assassination in Minnesota; blind squirrel Joe Rogan finds a nut; and how Israel's attack on Iran may be Trump's Bay of Pigs.


Please support us on Patreon.

Find us online at Facebook and at the Progress Pond.


Produced and edited by Brendan Skwire.

Music by permission of The Royal Hounds and Rick Fink.



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As the economy teeters, the GOP follows Trump into the threshing blades. Is it a good idea to cut FEMA? The civilized world rejects MAGA, as Texas doubles down. And, a plea to John Fetterman.



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Today's episode is chockful of topics!

Jesse Welles Sings About Tarrifs;

Tarrifs Eating Faces;

A Weimar-style Collapse in DC;

WTAF John Fetterman;

Free Kilmar Garcia;

Are We STILL going after DEI?; and

Hands Off Protests.


Tune in! Share with your friends! Share on social media! Subscribe! And please support us on Patreon!




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Friend of the pod, Hall Monitor's Bill Hangley—who you may remember from last seaon—spent the mid-1990s reporting from eastern Europe. He's back to discuss how DOGE could affect Philly parks—and ultimately make it impossible to get anything done. Plus, Trump and Putin move to partition Ukraine. Marty has thoughts. It's two hours of fun!


Please support us on Patreon.

Produced and edited by Brendan Skwire.



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The hosts of the Professional Left podcast, BlueGal and Driftglass, drop by to talk a whole lotta politics, from the golden-olden days of blogging, to Never Trumpers, to organizing and nurturing a progressive media ecosytem to counter the stumbling legacy media. Also knitting, and corn. Delicious, delicious corn.


Find us and support us on Patreon!


The Progress Pondcast


The Professional Left


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The Pennsylvania Policy Center's executive director Marc Stier drops by to chat with the guys about how the GOP is coming for Medicaid and more—and what we can do to stop them. Also, a special holiday post script!


Have a listen, like and subscribe, and please support us on Patreon.



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We have a great one for you this episode, folks. Philip Longman, Senior Editor at the Washington Monthly and the Policy Director at the Open Markets Institute drops by to discuss how 50 years of weak antitrust policies has hurt the Democrats with working class voters—and what they should do to win them back.




If you like what we do at the Progress Pondcast, please support us on Patreon for as little as $5.00 a month. T...

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Rudy Giuliani keeps digging that hole, while his hero Trump doesn't lift a finger to help him. Maybe that's because Trump is too busy picking through the trash for cabinet members, because they're such garbage even Maggie Haberman can't keep up. The fellas also have a good laugh at the MAGA morons who think Trump is gonna lower prices—boy do they have a surprise coming! Finally, Brendan gets dragged back onto social media kicking a...

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Rudy Giuliani faces a reckoning and loses all his stuff. Meanwhile, right wing gasbags bluster about married women voting! And the big story: Marty speculates on the secret plan hatched by Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to steal the 2024 election.




Please support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/progresspondcast


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Kind of a rambler this episode. The guys talk about getting old, Brendan has a birthday, Trump melts down several times in public, and Marty worries about low-propensity voters. Plus we're both naked.




BTW, this is hard-ass work. Not only are we using data (which ain't free), it takes me (Brendan) at least 2-3 hours to edit a single episode. No one's paying us to do this, so please support us and our work on Patreon, s...

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PA State Rep (and lifelong Philadelphian) Joe Hohenstein drops by to talk about state politics—including the disgrace of PA Republicans booing the Capitol Police who defended the House and Senate on January 6—as well as the importance of constituent services, the 2024 election, and protecting our most vulnerable. Oh and his large menagerie of rescue pets.




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We had such a good time last week with Bill Hangley, we invited him back for round two! The guys discuss Kamala Harris's historic candidacy and MAGA's predictable freakout, as well as Trump's racist remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists convention—was it a meltdown or more kayfabe? JD Vance has a lot of problems with furniture, cats, women, and childless people. Who should Harris pick for veep? How Bi...

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Marty, Brendan, and guest Bill Hangley discuss the 2024 campaign, including call for Biden to drop out. Bill discusses his recent opinion piece, "The Case for Kamala" and plays a song off his new album!




Less than an hour after recording (but well before editing), Biden dropped out.




Please visit us online at the following links, and support us on Patreon!


https://progresspond.com/


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Martin and Brendan share their takes on the Biden/Trump debate, and what Democrats should do. Also, we now have a Patreon page where you can support us.




Need more politics and analysis between podcasts? Find us online at Progress Pond.



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The guys celebrate Memorial Day! Brendan honors family and friends who served, Marty speculates on what verdict the jurors will render in Trump's New York trial, both of us make fun of thug-turned-schlub Michael Cohen, and we also have some fun with Rudy Giuliani's new barista gig.



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The fellas laugh and laugh at Donald Trump's legal travails. Will Donald melt down if Stormy testifies?



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Mike from Ohio, longtime commenter at Progress Pond, drops by for our first guest visit. We crap on Vince McMahon; discuss politics and chili in Ohio; and savor the trifecta of the DeSantis collapse, Trump’s problems, and Rudy911’s continuing descent.


Intro/outro music, "The Walk," provided by The Royal Hounds. "Some Kinda Gold," provided by The No Good Crowd. Podcast written and produced (where not ad libbe...

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Brendan and Marty ponder magnets and how they work; Joe Biden saddles Trump with a hilariously obscene nickname; taking Trump down to the studs; and the Moms for Liberty are back and getting their freak on.



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The guys roast Henry Kissinger over an open fire, make fun of professional liar George Santos, smack their heads over Israel, and point and laugh at the scandal-beset Moms for Liberty. Plus, Brendan has a new song out and both the guys have microphone problems.



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