Soft Targets, Hard Narratives

The Muckrake Political Podcast

CLNS Media Network

News, Politics

4.6 • 530 Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This is a free preview of our Weekender. Get the full episode, every Weekender, special live shows, and our community Discord by supporting us here: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman pick up after their emergency pod on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, sorting what’s real from what’s useful to the people in power. Jared digs into accelerationist chatter, the leaky “shells with slogans” narrative, and how a soft target + a gutted FBI creates perfect conditions for chaos. Nick pushes back on the “pro hit” talk (and why a neck shot doesn’t scream sniper), while they break down Trump’s response—an uncanny video wrapped around a ready-made storyline that instantly deputizes repression against political enemies. They also call out the liberal media’s rush to launder Kirk’s record, talk Groypers vs. Kirk, and why “thoughts and prayers” gave way to weaponized certainty in minutes. If it feels like reality is being edited in real time… that’s the point.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everybody.
0:22.3	Welcome to the Weekender edition of the McCrack podcast. I'm Jared D. Sexton. My voice is kind of going because I have a cold and I've been talking way too much about what's been going on, including the emergency pod from last night. I'm here with Nick Houseman. Nick, how you doing, bud? I'm good. My voice is feeling good. I actually was in rare form last night singing Baker Street with the neighborhood band.
0:23.6	That was exciting.
0:28.2	Oh, okay. So you had a much different evening.
0:33.3	You know, I will say that I was trying to hang out with people and sort of enjoy the evening. And it's just, it was very difficult. And there's the, there's a lot, it's a lot. A lot is going on. I think we need to discuss. And a lot, a lot is going on. And if you haven't already, please go back on Wednesday night. We did record an emergency podcast talking about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We have more information about that today and more analysis.
0:55.0	A reminder if you want to listen to this whole show. And listen, there's a lot to discuss here.
0:59.3	There really, really truly is. Head over to patreon.com slash my great podcast. Become a patron,
1:04.7	support the show, gain access to the weekend or all that good stuff.
1:08.2	Nick, since we recorded that emergency podcast, it feels like some things have come out
1:15.2	while other things have gotten murkier and stranger in the investigation into the assassination
1:21.0	of Charlie Kirk.
1:22.6	We have seen today information that was first leaked from the FBI to right-wing personality, Stephen
1:29.9	Crowder, and eventually came out to the Wall Street Journal that in the, in, from the scene of
1:36.8	the crime, that reportedly shells were recovered that had quote unquote transgender
1:43.0	antifa anti-fascist ideology scrawled on them.
1:47.4	There's still not been anyone captured for this crime.
1:52.2	This for me is starting to take on some weird tones.
1:55.9	The research I've been doing into it has me feeling a different way than I was yesterday.
2:02.9	Nick, can you give me your opinion as I sort of get ready to get into that more in depth?
2:09.6	Yeah.
2:10.0	I mean, I know that you were trying to say that like this was a, it could be a professional hit
2:16.9	and a professional shooter.
	...

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