Kash Patel Takes a Victory Lap The Social Contract Weekly Wrap Joe Walsh Feb 23 There are so many jerks this week, it’s hard to keep track. As our amazing Olympians wrapped up an incredible Winter Games in Italy, FBI Director Kash Patel used the FBI jet to fly in and party with the gold medal-winning men’s hockey team. This is far from his first time jetsetting around on our dollar. Totally normal, above-board activity for an FBI Director. Meanwhile, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the authors of a New York Fed study that validated that, yes, tariffs are a tax, and Americans are paying for them, should be “disciplined.” So if an independent group’s research runs counter to what Donald Trump claims, that’s worthy of punishment, according to Hassett. Utter bullshit. When asked what would happen with tariff proceeds that have been collected now that the Supreme Court has ruled against them, Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said any refunds would amount to “ultimate corporate welfare.” He laughed at the suggestion that they may flow directly to the American people. Jerky, but honest. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems to have taken it upon himself to reinstate the Equal Time Rule for talk shows. The rule requires broadcasters who feature political candidates to provide airtime to rivals as well, but talk shows have traditionally been exempt. Until this week. Carr initiated enforcement action against both Stephen Colbert and The View for featuring Senate candidate James Talarico. Carr is unequally applying the Equal Time Rule, however, since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, also running for Senate, was interviewed on Sean Hannity’s radio show. And finally, there’s Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who not only revealed on a podcast that he used to snort cocaine off toilet seats but posted a workout video with Kid Rock that must be seen to be believed. This Past Week My Substack Lives are open to all subscribers, unless noted. Click below if you missed any of my conversations from the past week! Wednesday with Windsor Mann Thursday with Mike Madrid Thursday with Edwin Eisendrath Thursday with Cliff Schecter Thursday with Paid Subscribers Friday with Mike Nellis THE SOCIAL CONTRACT IS THE PREMIER RESISTANCE COMMUNITY ON SUBSTACK, AND JOE WALSH IS THE VOICE OF THE RESISTANCE. ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT TRUMP’S FASCISM WITH JOE AND THE SOCIAL CONTRACT TEAM? Amid the daily onslaught of infuriating news, we have to acknowledge the heroes among us. The list continues to grow, as more and more of us stand up to the tyrant and his fascist regime. Courage is infectious. Be brave! OLYMPIANS. My heroes are the Olympians from all countries who put aside their differences and just competed. —Mary D. DROPKICK MURPHYS. Just saw Dropkick Murphys, and I gotta give them a shoutout for their unflagging support of working people, and their unrelenting scorn for Don Snoreleone. They’re not gonna make laws or take down pedophile rings, but they’ve been doing their own brand of advocacy for 30 years now, and that shit matters. They’ve got a bully pulpit, and they’re using it. Every night. I was only a casual fan until I saw the video for one of their new songs, “Who’ll Stand With Us?” See for yourself, and you’ll understand what I mean. —James B. SO MANY HEROES (SARCASM). The real heroes must be the folks who hid the WMD in Iraq, who hid the GOP healthcare plan (it’s been at least 15 years now…but just a couple more weeks every time they are asked for it), and who hid the peace deal between Ukraine and Russia on Day One. Oh, and also the magician who got rid of the 3 million Epstein files not released last month because they were still being reviewed, and yet then, poof, not one more file released, but now they were all released. So many heroes. So many sycophantic morons who support this total BS. —Bill T. Here are our heroes… STEPHEN COLBERT for not sitting quietly after getting silenced. TEN DEMOCRATIC STATES for saying no to ICE. THIS GUY for telling it like it is with righteous anger. THE JUDICIARY (1, 2, 3, 4) for more good rulings against the regime. THE UK for making a high-profile Epstein arrest. HONORABLE MENTION: SCOTUS (again!) for the correct decision on tariffs. Good Reads for This Week The Logic of Catastrophe —The Cosmopolitan Globalist While Russia Continues its Genocidal War Against Ukraine, Trump’s Inner Circle Cuts Deals With the Kremlin —Unmasking Russia America’s Time of Testing Has Come —Judge J. Michael Luttig Reading Is Turning Into an Act of Resistance —Writing Wednesdays George W. Bush, Patron Saint of Wusses —Salty Politics I Fled Trump’s America After His Re-Election. Here’s Why I Came Back —The Daily Beast 50 Years as a Republican. Then He Walked Away —Leaving MAGA Colbert Exposes Network Censorship Amid Trump FCC Crackdown —Really American Trump Won’t Cancel Elections. There’s a Far More Dangerous Plan in Motion. —The Existentialist Republic David Frum: The GOP Didn’t Drift Into Trumpism —The Bulwark