Moment of Truth

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Jon Schweppe, Senior Advisor at the American Principles Project, fresh off an 18-month stint as senior policy advisor to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson. Jon explains what antitrust and consumer protection enforcement have actually accomplished under this administration and why the FTC's Section Five authority is one of the most underrated tools in government. They dig deep into the sports betting industry — the VIP programs, the psychological targeting of losers, the banning of winners, and expose how these companies actually operate. The conversation turns from speculation to affordability, with a full-throated argument against "burrito gate" and the strain of conservatism that tells struggling Americans to just work harder. Jon and Nick both make the case that if the right cannot even diagnose the affordability crisis as real, it has no business calling itself a movement for working people. Tune in for this rare dip from Moment of Truth into intra-right, very-online squabbles (and come out better for it!) Follow Jon: https://x.com/JonSchweppeFollow APP: https://x.com/APProject (00:00) Welcome to Moment of Truth(03:55) Senior Policy Advisor to FTC Chairman Ferguson(05:00) Government Is Run by Our Friends(06:33) Big Tech Wasn't Let Off the Hook(08:39) The FTC's Consumer Protection Authority (10:07) The $1.5 Billion Amazon Prime Settlement(13:05) The Sports Betting Problem(19:36) Sports Leagues in Bed With Sportsbooks and the Ohtani Problem(24:19) Young Men Are the Primary Target of This Business Model(33:06) Burrito Gate — The Argument That Is Going to Get the Right Wiped Out(44:16) The DSA and the Right Both Get the Problem — Only One Side Has Good Solutions(48:07) The Core of Populism(50:30) Age Verification for Porn(55:38) Where to Find Jon Schweppe and the American Principles ProjectFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Professor Ilan Wurman of the University of Minnesota returns for round two on birthright citizenship, breaking down the Supreme Court's decision and what comes next. Ilan explains why the 5-4 ruling is actually closer to a victory than it looks, walks through the flaws in the majority's reasoning on extraterritoriality and the entry fiction, and makes the case for the Thomas-Gorsuch dissent He also gives a sympathetic read on Justice Barrett, lays out what a future administration and a future Supreme Court appointment could actually do differently, and pushes back hard against the doom and gloom many young conservatives are feeling. Plus: his new book, The Constitution of 1789, and why he thinks Americans should love the Constitution the way it actually was written — not in spite of it.Follow Ilan: https://x.com/ilan_wurman Check out his podcast: https://x.com/rationallypod Find his book: https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/law/constitutional-and-administrative-law/constitution-1789-new-introduction?format=PB&isbn=9781009485692 This episode is brought to you by STAED, the official drink of Moment of Truth. Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick is joined by the Honorable Anthony D'Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor and former Congressman from New York, for a conversation about what it actually looks like to root out waste, fraud, and abuse at scale. The Inspector General explains how the Department of Labor's IG office has one of the broadest investigative jurisdictions in the federal government and what that means for cross-department investigations, including what the Vice President’s Fraud Task Force. They also get into how unemployment insurance fraud is quietly destroying small businesses in states like California and New York to the tune of millions of dollars a day. And no conversation about labor would be complete without tearing into the topic of H-1Bs and how immigrations and corporate interests alike are manipulating the system at American citizens’ expense. There’s lots of great stories in this one, including gangs running restaurants in Boston on stolen identities, fraud influencers posting step-by-step guides on TikTok, and why the $6.5 billion healthcare fraud takedown was the biggest in American history. Thank you to the Inspector General and his office for the generous favor of his time to come and talk about this important work. Follow the Inspector General: https://x.com/USLaborIG Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Omar Pimentel, Director of Frontier Strategy at Type One Ventures and former space portfolio lead at the Defense Innovation Unit, for the show's first ever episode about space.Omar explains how DIU was created to repair the broken relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, how the Other Transaction Authority allows the military to buy technology at commercial speed, and why Starlink is the single best example of what happens when you let industry solve the problem instead of specifying the solution. They cover Space Force, GPS as America's most underrated gift to the world, the threat landscape in orbit, what kinetic conflict in space would actually look like, Artemis II and the road to landing on the moon by 2028, why Administrator Jared Isaacman is doing more with the same budget, and what the plan to get to Mars actually is.And stick around till the end to hear Nick and Omar debate the best space movies of all time.Follow Omar: https://x.com/OmarJPimentel*Omar Pimentel is an employee of Type One Ventures. His opinions and views in no way represent the opinions or views of the current Presidential administration or the Department of War. Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Will Thibeau, Director of the American Military Project at Claremont's DC Center for the American Way of Life, for a wide-ranging conversation on the wars reshaping American foreign policy right now. They cover the Iran deal vs. the JCPOA, why the nuclear threat has always been more complicated than neocons made it sound, and Will explains the helpful concepts of “battlefield geometry” and “battlefield algebra” that have fundamentally changed modern warfare.They break down why Ukraine has been able to hold Russia at bay and evaluate how Iran's cheap drones mean that destroying 90% of their combat power still leaves dangerous residual capability. They also get into autonomous weapons, the Anthropic vs. Department of War dispute, and what D.C. staffers making policy in right now need to understand about all of it.Follow Will: https://x.com/WilliamThibeau Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Ryan Girdusky — political consultant, author, and OG American Moment board member — for the most honest breakdown of the 2026 midterms you are going to hear anywhere. Ryan rates Republicans chance of keeping the House, explains ‘midterm math,’ and walks through the Senate race by race — North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Maine, and more. He has strong opinions about the trouble in Texas, the mess in Maine, and the missteps in Michigan, and he explains what it’s going to take from Republicans to win in those hot seats. And stick around till the end for a breakdown on the SAVE act and whether or not Republicans should force an early census to pick up some more redistricting wins. Ryan’s X: https://x.com/RyanGirduskySubscribe to his Substack: https://natpop.substack.com/Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick hosts a discussion with Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, for a live impromptu recording at the Reindustrialize conference. First Solar is one of the most important American manufacturing success stories nobody is talking about, proving that, yes, you CAN build products in America. This semiconductor company has built six factories in the United States, employs 40,000 Americans across its supply chain, and generates $4 billion in annual payroll, all while going head to head with China on solar technology. Mark explains how First Solar has integrated AI into manufacturing at full scale since 2022, why the average job at their facilities pays $80,000 a year, and what it actually looks like to build a factory in a community that lost everything to deindustrialization. We hope you enjoy this rare conversation with someone who is actually building things in America right now.Check out First Solar: https://www.firstsolar.com/ Follow Reindustrialize: https://x.com/reindsummit Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute and former head of the CIA's Russia desk, for a rare insider's look at how the intelligence community actually works… and what needs to change. George explains the real power structure of the IC and why ODNI was created to manage it all. They also get into domestic surveillance and where the legal lines actually are, how congressional oversight has become more kabuki theater than real accountability, what questions new members of the Intel committees should be asking, and how the IC can begin to rebuild trust with the American people. If you work anywhere near these issues, or have a curiosity for how actual deep state mechanics work, this episode is required listening.Follow George: https://x.com/GeorgeBeebe13Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Gord Magill, author of End of the Road: Inside the War on Truckers, for an illuminating conversation about American labor. Gord is a third-generation trucker from Canada who has driven across four countries and spent years figuring out why the industry that moves everything in America has become, in his words, “a complete dumpster fire." He breaks down the driver shortage narrative that the American Trucking Associations have been running since 1987… and why it has always been a lie. He also exposes the flood of non-domiciled CDLs being issued to people who don't speak English, and breaks down the big legal battles of the day with the Delilah's Law stall in Congress and the Supreme Court's Montgomery v. Caribe Bay decision. This episode is a good reminder that behind every policy debate are legions of workers and logistics where livelihoods (and lives) are at stake. Follow Gord: https://x.com/GordMagillBuy His Book: https://creedandculture.com/books/end-of-the-road-inside-the-war-on-truckers/ (00:00) Welcome to Moment of Truth(02:44) Third Generation Trucker From Canada(12:29) Everything in Modern Life Moves on a Truck(18:21) The American Trucking Associations Are Not Your Friend(23:12) Why Is American Trucking So Much Worse Than Canada and Australia(26:41) Who Is Actually Waging the War on Truckers?(29:42) The Driver Shortage Narrative Has Been a Lie Since 1987(33:37) Jeff Bezos and Amazon (36:13) The Scams and Bad Companies Wrecking Trucking(40:35) The Tucker vs. Shapiro Debate on Self-Driving Trucks(52:26) Immigrants or Robots(53:31) Who Actually Has Enforcement Authority and What They Should Do(59:13) Montgomery v. Caribe Bay — What the Supreme Court Just Did for Truckers(1:02:46) Where to Buy End of the Road and How to Follow GordFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj