Sen. Schmitt’s Failed Attack on Jack Smith
Summary
The Dispatch Podcast roundtable dissects Senator Eric Schmitt’s failed attempt to trap former Special Counsel Jack Smith in perjury during a Senate hearing, which backfired when evidence revealed Smith was at a different basketball game. The hosts also analyze President Trump’s meeting with tech leaders to rename AI "super intelligence" and sign a non-binding self-regulation pact, critiquing the administration’s lack of substantive policy and reliance on messaging over actual governance.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Pfizer oncology innovation
Intro: Schmidt hearing, AI summit, dinner parties
Clip: Senator Schmidt questions Jack Smith
Context: The unvetted evidence and Fanny Willis
GOP staff incompetence and impeachment bill
Misspelling 'United States' on AI document
Schmidt's VP ambitions and media narrative
The 'Evil Council' and public meeting blunder
Schmidt's failed 'gotcha' and political cost
The plague of cleverness in politics
Media bubbles and the power of the meme
Legacy media coverage and voter impact
Ad break
Staff roles and the 'Fry Guy' moment
Transition to AI: Renaming to Super Intelligence
The Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities
Feasibility of regulating AI vs. other industries
Self-regulation vs. government oversight
Trump's motivation: Stock market and messaging
Why 'Artificial' was changed to 'Super'
Ad break and membership promo
Populist skepticism of AI and Trump's stance
Trump's financial corruption and stock focus
Not Worth Your Time: Decline of dinner parties
Panel discussion on hosting and socializing
Outro and show credits
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