Anne Applebaum: Trump's Firehose of Lies

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<p>Trump shifts his position on the Iran war so often that it sure looks like he is using the same propaganda technique that Putin uses with abandon: Flood people with contradictory stories to confuse and exhaust them so they'll just tune out. That could be helpful for a commander–in-chief running a failed military campaign. At the same time, the only engagement the administration seems to want is from the online world—which they use to create an alternate reality. Plus, Russia is not winning the war in Ukraine and does not know how to, much of Trump's immigration policy is about performative cruelty, political oppression still continues in Venezuela, Kari Lake has a new gig, and new selections for the Anne Applebaum book club. </p><p><strong>Anne Applebaum</strong> joins Tim Miller.</p><p><em>show notes:<br /></em><br /></p></div><ul>

<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/ukraine-war-momentum-shift/687444/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfB6Oe8wLLz6vf-xZBf_QoAfc&amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=share">Anne's latest reporting from Ukraine</a></li>

<li><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/phillipspobrien/p/war-crimes-seem-to-be-official-us?r=af2rj&amp;utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;utm_medium=web">Phillips O'Brien piece on Iran, "War Crimes Seem To Be Official US Policy Now"</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/delcy-rodriguez-invades-my-home-38b9e0e1?mod=e2two">A Venezuela opposition leader on the continuing political oppression there</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/kari-lake-maga-future/685906/">Anne's reporting on Kari Lake running Voice of America</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/kari-lake-jamaica-record/687141/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfB7W7nXlBxqKe8gB0Xkmobb0&amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=share">Anne on Lake being nominated as ambassador to Jamaica</a></li>

<li><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-time-of-cherries-a-novel-montserrat-roig/1c4d38e139577a76?ean=9780593978801&amp;next=t&amp;&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&amp;utm_content={adgroupname}&amp;utm_term=dsa-19959388920&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=12440232635&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld40v4e5-7s4gHRNOYFJFglfp3&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwuanRBhBSEiwAY5y6V7Lf5Rcz9ZF2Rn8iDVz-uTs2pE7qhS8RY9InDBwaYEjJ6ON7n2v-shoCV78QAvD_BwE">Summer novel rec from Anne, "The Time of Cherries"</a></li>

<li><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-tender-matador-pedro-lemebel/dddbcf12a7a8c2a5?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&amp;utm_content={adgroupname}&amp;utm_term=dsa-19959388920&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=12440232635&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld40v4e5-7s4gHRNOYFJFglfp3&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwuanRBhBSEiwAY5y6VxBkEYhcgh0UZTqjS5bL9x7j1RySPfYYvEY2Ajyp09b9nTigKwM0WxoCHwYQAvD_BwE">Tim's summer novel rec, "My Tender Matador"</a></li>