Beef prices expose fast food’s private-equity squeeze

9/23/26: Beef Prices Skyrocket, Susan Collins Corruption, Troy Jackson Hijacked By Dem Elites

The episode connects household food costs and health-care oversight to deeper questions about corporate ownership, campaign finance, and who controls political agendas.

3 key takeaways

1Wendy’s closures and soaring beef prices reflect both economic pressure and years of private-equity-driven financial engineering.
2ACA enrollment removals raise alarm, but targeting fraudulent brokers and accounts may protect confidence in public health programs.
3Susan Collins’s network and Troy Jackson’s campaign illustrate competing claims about corruption, donor influence, and consultant-driven politics.

Don't miss

The hosts’ debate over whether the Susan Collins reporting demonstrates transactional corruption or primarily campaign-finance violations.

The brief

Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky begin with Wendy’s closures and soaring beef prices, asking whether today’s pressures or years of private-equity financial engineering did more damage.

The fast-food discussion widens into a critique of franchise land sales, declining quality, and ownership models that can extract value while leaving customers with higher prices.

On ACA enrollment, the hosts weigh the alarm surrounding mass removals against the case that eliminating fraudulent brokers and fake accounts can preserve public trust.

A ProPublica investigation into Susan Collins’s super PAC, defense contractors, shell companies, and Scott Reed prompts a debate over corruption versus campaign-finance violations.

The Troy Jackson discussion turns to Washington consultants, wealthy donors, scripted messaging, and shifting positions on Israel and Gaza as Maine politics strains under competing constituencies.

What was said on this episode

18 statements · 1 positive · 15 negative · 2 mixed

Ryan Grimon Wendy'sNegative4:57
Wendy’s has struggled for a long time
“Wendy's has been a struggling company for a very long time.”
Listen at 4:57
Ryan Grimon Wendy'sNegative5:11
High beef prices may bring down the franchisee and potentially all of Wendy’s
“this was kind of the cold that you know might that took out this uh this franchisee but may end up taking the entire thing down”
Listen at 5:11
Ryan Grimon Wendy's competitive positionNegative8:31
Wendy’s was squeezed between cheaper and higher-quality competitors
“Wendy's got hit with this because they were like they were somewhere in the middle.”
Listen at 8:31
Ryan Grimon Wendy's royalty securitizationNegative9:19
Wendy’s securitized future franchise royalty payments
“Wendy's did is they securitized those future royalties.”
Listen at 9:19
Emily Jashinskyon U.S. beef market consolidationNegative12:42
Market consolidation contributes to rising beef prices
“I think it's also that there's so much consolidation.”
Listen at 12:42
Emily Jashinskyon Wendy'sNegative13:27
Wendy’s may not withstand the surge in beef prices
“I don't think we'll be able to withstand is this beef price explosion”
Listen at 13:27
Ryan Grimon ACA fraud enforcementPositive17:07
Removing fraudulent ACA enrollments is a step toward better public healthcare
“This is actually a step in the right direction.”
Listen at 17:07
Emily Jashinskyon Collins campaign operationNegative29:30
The donation communications implicate the broader Collins campaign operation
“that does implicate the Collins operation, I think, overall”
Listen at 29:30
Ryan Grimon Navitech military productsNegative36:48
Navitech’s costly products were not used by the military
“nothing that they made for many, many, many million dollars over the years is used by the military at all.”
Listen at 36:48
Ryan Grimon Susan CollinsNegative37:28
Susan Collins directly enabled an illegal defense-contracting arrangement
“enabled directly by Susan Collins in a... flagrantly and directly illegal way”
Listen at 37:28
Ryan Grimon Troy Jackson campaign consultantsNegative41:42
Consultants instructed Troy Jackson to avoid questions and candid statements
“They told him, basically, stop taking questions from people, like you're killing us. Stop telling people what you honestly think.”
Listen at 41:42
Ryan Grimon Troy Jackson Medicare-for-All positionMixed41:54
Troy Jackson retained Medicare-for-All support while presenting it like a public option
“He can't back off of Medicare for all. But if you hear him talk about it now, it sounds much more like a public option.”
Listen at 41:54
Ryan Grimon Troy Jackson Gaza positionNegative42:11
Consultants pressured Troy Jackson over calling Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide
“The biggest kind of push from them seems to be over his calling what's going on. Gaza from Israel, a genocide.”
Listen at 42:11
Emily Jashinskyon Independent voters’ Gaza viewsNegative48:25
Independent voters increasingly reject the liberal Democratic position on Gaza
“independent voters are going to, they don't agree, actually, with the kind of liberal Democrat position on this anymore.”
Listen at 48:25
Ryan Grimon Canada trade warNegative49:14
The Canada trade war is harming Maine
“the trade war with Canada, which is really hurting Maine.”
Listen at 49:14
Ryan Grimon Maine fuel oil costsNegative49:16
High fuel-oil costs are severely harming Maine families
“Fuel oil is absolutely crushing families in Maine right now”
Listen at 49:16
Ryan Grimon Trump Canada trade warNegative50:02
Trump’s trade war with Canada has increased firewood prices
“Trump's in a trade war with Canada and he's driven up a court of wood”
Listen at 50:02
Emily Jashinskyon Political candidate messagingMixed50:42
Candidates should either retract or firmly defend controversial positions
“You either have to say, I was wrong or hell no, I was right. I'm standing firm on this despite what Washington wants me to say.”
Listen at 50:42

Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.