Bonus: The Surge | A Fumble Right Out the Gaetz

Misconduct allegations have taken one of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks out of contention. No not Pete Hegseth, he’s still in—but Matt Gaetz stepped down after talking with the Senate. Was it a check? Was it a balance? Since when did credible allegations make a difference to congressional Republicans anyway? Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer, who writes the weekly newsletter The Surge. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of The Surge —you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.