Ruthless Podcast America is BACK - Astronauts to the Moon + Newsom’s Fraud Scheme
Apr 3, 2026
A lively take on the Artemis 2 moon launch and the surge of public pride it sparked. A critique of celebrity-style media tactics as outlets track politicians. A deep dive into an alleged massive California unemployment fraud and its costs for taxpayers. Plus bizarre viral stories and odd legal headlines for comic relief.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
TMZ Turning Politics Into Celebrity Tracking
- The panel criticizes TMZ's DC rollout as turning politics into celebrity spectacle and crowdsourcing politician photos.
- They view it as media fulfilling partisan tracking functions formerly handled by party operatives.
Media Surveillance Serves Political Campaigns
- Hosts say TMZ's effort will selectively target Republicans and act like an off-the-books arm of Democrats.
- They note past patterns where media projects serve campaign-like surveillance and will likely fade before elections.
Massive Unemployment Fraud Under Newsom
- They report a New York Post estimate that California lost at least $180 billion to pandemic-related unemployment fraud under Gavin Newsom.
- Examples include Romanian-led rings wiring stolen funds overseas and prison inmates' names used for claims.