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JWSP

JWSP

By: Alex Midway and Eric Halsey
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John Wayne's Surge Protector podcast is two guys discussing the world around us on a twice weekly basis. We try to look at things that we think are huge deals and sometimes those items are also flying under the radar for a lot of other media channels. Having known each other for many years some of the jokes you hear may not come off as jokes. Keep listening and you will get in the loop soon enough as well. We have a link to leave any feedback in most of the episodes so don't hesitate to reach out.

© 2026 John Wayne's Surge Protector
Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Piñata Economics
    Jun 19 2026

    This week's "Who Said It" is three words — and once you find out who said them and in what context, it reframes pretty much everything that follows.

    SpaceX's IPO numbers are in and they are genuinely staggering — we're talking more money raised than Saudi Aramco, Alibaba, and Facebook combined, for a company that posted losses in Q1. We break down what that actually means, who's really benefiting, and why Elon holding 46% of the shares tells you everything about who this IPO was actually for. We also take a moment to address RFK's take on autism — and the contrast with exhibit A sitting in the Oval Office is one for the ages.

    Ukraine wasted no time responding to the Kyiv monastery attack — Moscow just got hit with its largest drone strike of the entire war, and a refinery supplying nearly half the capital's fuel took a direct hit. Twice. There's also a new maritime drone that just debuted and the specs on this thing are going to make your jaw drop. We also take a moment to remember who's buried at that monastery — and why Russia bombing it is almost cosmically ironic.

    The reflecting pool is still green, Fox News has found a way to spin it, and the paint is already peeling — all within weeks of a $14 million renovation. Your co-host has a new economic theory called Piñata Economics and we promise it's the most logical thing you'll hear all episode.

    The Iran MOU got signed — digitally — and the response from Trump's own party ranges from deeply concerned to absolutely baffled. A classified CIA assessment adds some context that makes the whole thing even harder to celebrate. Ted Cruz has feelings. Lindsey Graham has a very convenient memory. And the week closes with a court order, a partition wall, and a president who really didn't want anyone to see his name come off a building.

    One of the many Moscow oil refinery memes out there

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    43 mins
  • The Breadsticks Ain't Come Out Yet
    Jun 17 2026

    This week's "Who Said It" is a prediction about Iran and negotiating skills — and depending on how you feel about recent headlines, it's either painfully accurate or about to be proven wrong in real time.

    Tesla's getting a boost from an unlikely source — retail investors piling in while insiders are locked out from selling — and meanwhile SpaceX just made someone the world's first trillionaire on a $2.6 trillion valuation for a company that's bleeding billions. We break down the lockup structure, the timing, and exactly when you should expect the exits to start.

    It was a busy weekend in Ukraine — Russia launched a massive wave of missiles including some genuinely terrifying hypersonic hardware, and a UNESCO World Heritage site took a hit in the process. There's also some real diplomatic movement worth celebrating, plus a ceasefire announcement that comes with so many asterisks we're not sure where to start — a mountain, a memorandum, and a number Trump used to describe nuclear materials that you're not going to believe.

    The reflecting pool saga continues and somehow gets dumber. Brooke Rollins wants credit for a screw worm program that quietly got way more expensive after DOGE supposedly "streamlined" it.

    And then there's the weekend's main event — a birthday extravaganza on the White House lawn that delivered some fight outcomes nobody saw coming, a culture war moment involving a sitting First Lady's husband that we're still shaking our heads at, a cursive-related conspiracy theory, a hacking claim that convinced absolutely nobody, and an infomercial moment so transparent it might be the funniest unintentional reveal of the year.

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    52 mins
  • 1,569 Days, One Screwworm, and a Referee Stranded in Miami
    Jun 12 2026

    The episode kicks off with Trump making some eyebrow-raising comments about inflation, and the hosts break down what's actually going on with the numbers. From there, Tesla gets some time in the spotlight — the stock had an interesting day, and there's some new data out of Europe about their self-driving technology that's worth talking about.

    The Ukraine war hits a sobering milestone this episode. The hosts put the length of the conflict into perspective in a way that might genuinely stop you in your tracks — and then there's a significant development deep inside Russian territory that shows just how far Ukraine's reach has grown.

    Back stateside, the political circus delivers as always. A high-profile congresswoman's career comes to an unceremonious end in a primary, and there's some leaked audio from a Republican leader that has people asking questions about promises made to voters. One congressman's attempt to dodge a reporter on the street goes about as well as you'd expect.

    The World Cup is here, hosted on North American soil — but not everything about the lead-up has been celebratory. There are some real head-scratching decisions around who's been allowed in and who hasn't, including one story about a referee with an incredible backstory that will leave you frustrated.

    The hosts also get into a creepy-crawly public health story making a comeback in the American South, a tone-deaf celebrity moment involving a real estate ad, and close things out on a genuinely feel-good sports moment that New York hasn't seen in a long, long time.

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    51 mins
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