Catch Me Up

AI's Dark Cash, the Oregon Massacre, Erin's Law & a Kid With a Camera

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

AI companies want more data centers and they're spending big to elect the people who'll approve them. In this episode, we follow Scripps News reporting on pro-AI super PACs pouring money into 36 House and Senate races, mostly in Georgia, New York and Texas, where data center building is concentrated. The twist: the ads aren't even about AI; they're aimed at whatever each candidate's weak spot is. Our national investigative reporter Patrick Terpstra followed the money. We also break the silence after abuse with Erin Merryn, who was abused as a child and stayed silent because her abuser told her no one would believe her. She turned that silence into Erin's Law, now on the books in 38 states, requiring schools to teach kids body safety once a year — and she's still fighting for the other 12. On the heels of the massacre at a Bend, Oregon elementary school, Brette Steele of Eradicate Hate — a former advisor to the White House, Congress, DOJ and DHS on targeted violence — joins us on the warning signs most people miss and what to do when someone you know shows them. And 10-year-old Ukrainian-born naturalist and storyteller Noah Beshto, who has documented wildlife in eight countries, tracks a GPS-tracked black stork from near Chernobyl toward Africa with a message for kids everywhere: you're never too young to protect the planet. Plus: our whip-around on half a million protesters marching across France, President Trump's "complete and total" endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Supreme Court refusing to revive the 9/11 plea deal, and Trump's call for New Mexico to rename itself. Andrew Rafferty has our Midterm Madness Minute with under two weeks to go. Our panel debates the push to bring back the Redskins name, newly unsealed records in the O.J. Simpson case, and the New Mexico name change. And in hidden headlines: a GOP ad buyer sends Senate campaign money to the wrong Portland. Marc has a fall recipe. This isn't your typical news show — and that's just the start.

Bullets & Death Threats Over AI Data Centers | Ukraine Crisis | Scoop DeVille on Music

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Local fights over AI data centers are turning dangerous with bullets fired into one councilman's home and death threats sent to small-town officials. Scripps News Senior National Investigative Correspondent Lori Jane Gliha has been tracking the threats, and Jon asks her who's behind them and how far this could go. Meanwhile, conditions in Ukraine keep deteriorating as President Trump calls for new leadership there - Scripps News Senior International Correspondent Jason Bellini looks live from the ground with the latest. Legendary producer Scoop DeVille with credits including Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Jay-Z sits down with Jon to talk about who really calls the shots in music: the artists, the algorithms, or the people writing the checks. Plus, Cornell alum and former defense attorney Chloe Akers breaks down the Chi Phi case; Andrew Rafferty delivers the Midterm Madness Minute with just over two weeks to the midterms; the panel opines and Marc shares a fall butternut squash recipe. The Hidden Headlines wraps it up with a "bored" 23-year-old who allegedly faked her way into a Milwaukee classroom - wait until you hear what she had the kids do! Catch up on the news with those in the know and text Jon your take: 202-968-2449.

Oct. 7 Three Years Later, Cornell & the Search for the Missing

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 9 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Three years after October 7, Gaza still isn't at peace, and the fighting has spread into a wider war with Iran. Scripps News Chief International Correspondent Jason Bellini has covered the story since the first days. He joins Jon Leiberman to talk about where things stand and where they could go next. That's just the start. Alex Miller has the latest on the ongoing situation at Cornell. A new Gallup report says only 31% of Americans think a college education is "very important," so we ask Stacey Cohen, Fordham adjunct professor, TEDx speaker and CEO of Co-Communications, whether college is still worth it. Food Babe founder Vani Hari was at the White House Make America Healthy summit with Vice President Vance and Secretary Kennedy, and she explains why even some MAHA loyalists aren't on board. Monica Caison, founder of the CUE Center for Missing Persons, explains how to keep a case from disappearing along with the person, and how you can help. Our panel also weighs in on the week's biggest stories. In our hidden headlines, Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley is facing online backlash after his property was marked as a public toilet on Google Maps, as scrutiny of the company's surveillance cameras grows. It writes itself. Everyone has an opinion and we want to hear yours. Text Jon at 202-968-2449, and subscribe so you stay caught up.

Big Tech's Thirst, AI's Hidden Job Risk & a Drunk Driver's Shocking Sentence

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 2 Oct 2026 23:00:00 +0000

A Google data center used more than a billion gallons of water in a single year, more than the town next door. So who pays when Big Tech gets thirsty? News 5 Cleveland reporter Michelle Jarboe went through public records to find out how much water data centers really use, and how much communities can afford to give. Plus, forget the robot takeover. Marcus Mossberger, chief market strategy officer at LYTIQS, says the real risk of AI isn't losing your job. It's keeping it with fewer hours and no health insurance. Scripps News correspondent Maura Barrett also explains what to expect from your health care premiums as open enrollment nears, and it's not pretty. In October 2024, Mark Palumbo was driving home from work on I-95 in Westbrook, Connecticut, when a wrong-way drunk driver three times the legal limit hit him head-on. His wife, Amanda, joins Jon to share Mark's story, talk about a sentencing that left her family questioning what justice looks like, and explain her fight to make sure no other family goes through this. Stephanie Alston and Teddy "The Tax Man" go side by side on the week's biggest stories. In the Hidden Headlines, the dad whose son put $118,000 of Minecraft YouTube ads on a company credit card has lost his job, and he's now selling $100 AI-generated shirts to pay back the debt. And it's Fat Bear Week in Alaska, where reigning champ Chunk is defending his crown. Everyone has an opinion, and we want to hear yours. Text Jon at 202-968-2449.

Ballroom Bonanza

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Trump's AI Empire, a Ballroom Under Scrutiny, a 9-Year-Old's $118,000 Mistake & a 9/11 Survivor's 'Never Forget' Mission | Catch Me Up" No, this isn't your typical news show. Jon Leiberman digs into a new Washington Post analysis tying the Trump family's business empire to the AI boom and the possible conflicts between the president's personal investments and his administration's AI policy. Plus: CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue after their White House badges are pulled while the White House launches its own 24/7 "Trump TV"; Trump and Mayor Mamdani meet at Gracie Mansion; and Converse yanks a campaign over alleged KKK imagery. Scripps News White House Correspondent Jacob Gardenswartz on the ballroom questions no one is answering, Achievement Network CEO Michelle Odemwingie on AI alarm bells in the classroom, and 9/11 survivor Christina Ray Stanton on teaching history to kids who never lived it. Then Hidden Headlines — including the 9-year-old who spent $118,000 of his dad's company credit card on YouTube ads for his own Minecraft videos. Text Jon with your take: 202-968-2449.

Climate in Crisis?

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 23:00:00 +0000

"EPA's Climate Rollback: Gov. Christine Todd Whitman Reacts | Catch Me Up with Jon Leiberman" Show Summary The Supreme Court just handed Trump a "Supreme No" on his mail-ballot overhaul, and that's only the opening act. Jon Leiberman catches you up on the GOP's first-ever midterm convention with Scripps News' Jay Gray - including that $5K check promise everyone's still talking about before turning to the EPA's stunning rollback of power plant climate limits with the woman who used to run the agency, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Then it's a game-changer for women's sports: 2025 NFL FLAG Player of the Year Ava Rotondi on flag football's meteoric rise toward NCAA varsity status and its 2028 LA Olympics debut. The panel weighs in on everything from AI "extinction" fears to what's buzzing nationwide, and the Hidden Headline delivers the ultimate feel-good ending - Oklahoma City firefighters who saved a man's life, then finished mowing his lawn before they left. It's news, but not like you've seen it before.

9/11: 25 Years Later

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:00:00 +0000

A special 25th anniversary edition of Catch Me Up, marking one quarter-century since 9/11 changed everything. This week: a powerful interview with a woman who lost her husband on 9/11 and then survived a stroke right before the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks. Today Beth Murphy is a fierce advocate for terror victims and people living with neurological disorders. Plus, Jon's own personal story covering 9/11 and the Iraq War, alongside Jason Bellini's firsthand account. Kadia Tubman catches you up on the ongoing fight for health benefits for 9/11 survivors and first responders. And the head of a leading Middle East think tank answers the hard question: are we actually safer 25 years later? All of that and the panel weighs in on the amazing fact that 100 million Americans alive today - were not alive on 9/11.

The War on Public Health

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Clancy Jury Deadlocks, Epstein Fallout, Rising Prices, and America's "War on Public Health" | Catch Me Up with Jon Leiberman Jon Leiberman catches you up on a chaotic week: a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy case, escalating US-Iran strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, a deadly Himalayan glacier collapse burying villages in Nepal and Tibet, a flash flood tearing through the Grand Canyon, and Nicolas Maduro flashing peace signs from a Brooklyn jail cell. Scripps News' Alex Miller breaks down where the Epstein files fight stands heading into a contentious post-Labor Day fall. Then Jon sits down with Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor's National School of Tropical Medicine, on measles hitting an all-time high and the growing war on public health — before the panel sounds off on soaring gas prices, a new NY Times survey showing health premiums about to skyrocket, NYC's AI ban in elementary and middle schools, and their own frustration over sky-high travel prices heading into Labor Day weekend. Jon closes it out lighter with a Georgia teacher's classroom "gas station" — the only gas station in town where prices are down and emissions are up. Text Jon your take: 202-968-2449

AI vs. THE CLASSROOM

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Scripps News' Maura Barrett goes inside the AI-in-schools battle, World Trade Center New Orleans' Harrison Crabtree unpacks the Canada tariff fallout, and our panel (Teddy "The Tax Man" Prioleau & Stephanie Alston) sounds off on Dolly Parton, Harry & Meghan, and the Lindsay Clancy trial.

Plus Marc's Minute and Hidden Headlines you definitely missed.

This isn't your typical news show. Text Jon your take at 202-968-2449 and weigh in.

Exclusive Interview with Former Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 23:00:00 +0000

The midterms are closer than you think and the stakes are even bigger than the headlines are letting on. This week, Jon breaks down why control of Congress could flip on a handful of races nobody's talking about yet, sits down for an exclusive interview with Andrew Yang on where politics goes from here, and brings the panel in to unpack the cocaine scandal rocking Penn State's campus.

Mangione Murder Madness

travis.jones@scripps.com (Scripps News) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 23:00:00 +0000

This episode leads with Luigi Mangione's guilty plea in federal court for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, then moves through a rundown of the week's biggest headlines, an update on the missing-persons case of Nancy Guthrie, a royal family deep dive with Kinsey Schofield, a panel debate on Cantor's WNBA draft declaration and AOC's fertility/2028 news, a kids' back-to-school segment, and a batch of "hidden headlines."

Timestamps & Segments

00:00 – Cold Open
Teasers for the day's top stories: Mangione's courtroom admission and the Harry and Meghan royal reconciliation debate ("We watch because they're a train wreck, not because they're changing the world").

01:00 – Show Intro
Jon Leiberman sets up the format: headlines, deep dives, panel debate, hidden headlines, and viewer text-ins.

01:07 – Flock Safety Cameras Backlash
AI-powered license plate readers used by police nationwide are facing a growing backlash — vigilantes torching and disabling cameras in at least 23 states, drivers using apps like DeFlock to track camera locations, and the LAPD letting its Flock contract lapse. Some cities are shifting to Axon's disguised AI camera system instead.

02:12 – "The Whip Around" (Headlines Roundup)

President Trump's executive order calling for children to be immunized against 11 diseases instead of the CDC-recommended 17 (legal authority unclear).

ICE says field officers will have body-worn cameras nationwide by end of September, but footage release is discretionary.

July 2026 was the hottest month on record in the U.S. — average temp 76.9°F, more than 3 degrees above the 20th-century mean.

Former NBA first-round pick Cantor Freedom declares for the 2027 WNBA draft.

03:21 – Luigi Mangione's Guilty Plea (Deep Dive)

Correspondent Alex Miller reports live from the federal courthouse: Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal charges tied to Brian Thompson's death (not technically murder charges).

Emotional courtroom scene — Thompson's brother, wife, and mother present; his brother locked eyes with Mangione throughout.

Mangione described taking trazodone the night before, detailed his back pain and frustration with the healthcare system, and explained how he targeted a UnitedHealthcare investor conference before traveling to New York to shoot Thompson twice.

No plea agreement is in place; prosecutors recommended 24–30 years, though he faces up to life in prison. Sentencing is set for December 18 at 11 a.m.

His attorneys have already filed a motion to dismiss the pending state murder charges on double jeopardy grounds; state jury selection is set to begin September 8.

Audio from the U.S. Attorney's press conference: prosecutors call the killing "deliberate, calculated, and premeditated," note the plea was "open" (no concessions), and say "violence is not a cause... a killer is certainly not a hero."

09:39 – The Nancy Guthrie Case (Field Dispatch)
Laurie Jane Gliha updates the six-month-old disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Recently released ransom notes indicate she was "safe but scared," and a second note claims she was not meant to be harmed but died and is "buried in nature." Her daughter, Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, continues pleading publicly for information.

11:16 – Royal Family Update with Kinsey Schofield

Discussion of Meghan Markle reportedly feeling "treated so badly and completely micromanaged" during the Sussexes' July visit to King Charles's Highgrove estate — no cameras allowed, and Harry's request for police protection was denied again.

Schofield argues the visit still advanced reconciliation, but on the Palace's terms: no cameras, no Netflix, no commercial spillover.

Take-down of the Sussexes' post-royal business record: Spotify cut ties, Bill Simmons's "grifters" comment, Netflix scaling back the deal, and the stalled Lemonade podcast partnership.

On King Charles's health: Schofield says she's met with him twice since October and he "seemed happy and healthy," undergoing experimental cancer treatment he says is "actually really working."

16:37 – Panel Segment (Simon & Stephanie)

Cantor's WNBA draft declaration: Debate over whether it's a genuine loophole (the WNBA's CBA doesn't explicitly define "woman") or a publicity stunt aimed at the transgender-in-sports debate. Stephanie redirects to celebrating real WNBA milestones (Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark/the Fever, Olivia Miles).

AOC freezes her eggs / hasn't ruled out a presidential run: Panel debates whether this normalizes fertility conversations for ambitious women or doubles as political messaging.

Biggest under-covered story of the week: University of Michigan replacing letter grades with pass/fail for some first-semester freshmen, aimed at easing the transition to college; panel is split on whether it helps mental health or "coddles" students.

22:10 – "Our Man Marc" (Kid Correspondent)
A young contributor shares a back-to-school tip for parents: give kids downtime and a snack after the school day before diving into homework.

23:05 – Hidden Headlines

Scientists hope to recreate 1860s-era Guinness after divers recovered a 162-year-old bottle from a shipwreck off England.

KFC and Oreo are launching fried-chicken-flavored cookies in China.

Americans now owe more than $1 trillion in credit card debt, up 60% from five years ago.

23:58 – Sign-off
Jon Leiberman closes the episode.

CJ Beatty On Going VIRAL in Youth Sports

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:20:55 +0000

On Episode 3 of Catch Me Up with Jon Leiberman. Is ICE using private contractors as "bounty hunters" to track down undocumented children? Investigation uncovers troubling questions about who is showing up at families' doors. Then, former pro baseball player CJ Batty joins Jon to discuss going viral with dugout anthems like "Row My Boat," empowering young female athletes, and helping save youth sports culture. Plus, our panel weighs in on the Michigan primary shaker, cyberattacks targeting US water facilities, and prescription-delivering drones, before Marc cooks up some therapeutic homemade pasta! Don't have time to follow every twist and turn of the week's biggest stories? Veteran journalist Jon Leiberman ("Howard Stern" and "America's Most Wanted") breaks down what happened so you are in the know on the most important, compelling, underreported and craziest stories of the week. Stream new episodes of "Catch Me Up" every Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Why Isn't Anyone Talking About Ebola? Catch Me Up with Jon Leiberman

Mon, 3 Aug 2026 13:02:47 +0000

One of the world's deadliest outbreaks is accelerating—but why isn't it leading the news? This week on Catch Me Up, we speak with journalist Chris Ocamringa from the Democratic Republic of Congo about the rapidly growing Ebola outbreak, the conspiracy theories slowing response efforts, and why many believe the crisis isn't getting the global attention it deserves. Then, Sydney Leathers—the woman thrust into the Anthony Weiner scandal more than a decade ago—shares how she rebuilt her life, found healing, and why she believes in second chances. Also in this episode: The latest on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo Measles cases hit their highest level in decades Is AI really replacing jobs—or changing the workforce? Democratic Party fundraising struggles ahead of the midterms Remote work, disability rights, and the camera-on workplace debate Hidden headlines you probably missed this week Chapters 00:00 This Week on Catch Me Up 02:22 Ebola Crisis in Congo 09:19 Sydney Leathers: A Second Act 15:22 Panel: Measles, AI & Politics 22:25 Mark's Minute: AI Through a Kid's Eyes 23:12 Hidden Headlines Subscribe for weekly conversations that go beyond the headlines and help you understand the stories shaping the world.

How Drones Are Changing War in Ukraine

travis.jones@scripps.com (Matt Morgan, Jason Bellini, Simon Kaufman) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:23:02 +0000

War is changing faster than most people realize. This week on Catch Me Up, Senior International Correspondent Jason Bellini joins us from Kyiv to explain how drones are transforming the battlefield—and why the conflict increasingly resembles something out of a video game. Plus, former WWE Superstar and Florida Commissioner Matt Morgan weighs in on politics, rising grocery and gas prices, and what he thinks happens in the next midterm elections. Also in this episode: Ukraine's rapidly evolving drone warfare Iran conflict update and U.S. military involvement Cyclospora lettuce outbreak: Should you actually be worried? Why groceries and gas remain major concerns for Americans Hidden headlines you probably missed this week Subscribe for weekly conversations that cut through the noise and catch you up on the biggest stories shaping the world.