The War on They

<p>One week after the death of Charlie Kirk, Erin and Alyssa discuss how the media, elected officials, and FBI Director Kash Patel have (mis)handled the ongoing investigation. They also catch up on the latest Epstein files news, Proposition 50 in California, and New Mexico’s unprecedented new childcare initiative. Then they discuss the thorny taboos and ethics surrounding commercial surrogacy. The episode wraps up in the sanity corner with a chat about The Summer I Turned Pretty finale and some gossip about Elizabeth Gilbert’s controversial new memoir.</p><p>For a closed-captioned version of this episode, <a href="https://youtu.be/mXv_waj0Wn0">click here</a>. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.</p><p>Groypers, Helldivers 2, Furries: What Do the Messages Left by Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Killer Actually Mean? (<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-tyler-robinson-memes-meaning">Vanity Fair 9/12</a>)</p><p>Exclusive: Leaked Messages from Charlie Kirk Assassin (<a href="https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-leaked-messages-from-charlie">Ken Klippenstein 9/16</a>)</p><p>3 takeaways from Kash Patel’s tense oversight hearing (<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/3-takeaways-from-kash-patels-tense-oversight-hearing">PBS 9/16</a>)</p><p>FBI Director Kash Patel's social media messaging draws critics during Kirk investigation (<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-director-kash-patels-social-media-messaging-charlie-kirk-investigation/">CBS 9/15</a>)</p><p>Here’s how Newsom’s maps are already changing California’s congressional races (<a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/09/california-redistricting-prop50-shakeup/">Cal Matters 9/16</a>)</p><p>Belgian Authorities Say $10 Million Supply of Birth Control Has Not Yet Been Destroyed (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/world/europe/trump-birth-control.html">NY Times 9/12</a>)</p><p>Senate GOP defeats Schumer’s Epstein gambit (<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/10/congress/senate-gop-defeats-chuck-schumer-epstein-files-00556518">Politico 9/10</a>)</p><p>New Mexico is the first state to promise free child care for all families (<a href="https://apnews.com/article/universal-free-child-care-new-mexico-ec514c3b828e1100d4e5cd7ab17412db">AP News 9/11</a>)</p><p>The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It? (<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-baby-died-whose-fault-is-it-surrogate-pregnancy/">Wired 9/3</a>)</p><p>Commercial Surrogacy: An Overview (<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9800153/#JR220156-12">PMC 12/29/22</a>)</p>