In an era defined by deep institutional distrust, a new trend within populist conservatism has emerged. It’s a sense that the federal government is keeping secrets and protecting the powerful at our expense. My guest this week is Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a conservative Republican from Florida who has quickly established herself as a political troublemaker. She’s challenging fellow lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — on issues like sexual harassment and ethics, but she doesn’t see her campaign to clean up Congress as in tension with her allegiance to President Trump. Luna has focused her first years in Congress on exposing what she views as coverups, from the Epstein files to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and longstanding government secrecy around U.F.O.s.

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:31 - Luna's politics: "Conservative with a streak of populism"
• 08:07 - From chaos to conservative influencer
• 16:17 - Critiquing the ethics of Congress
• 24:55 - Presidential ethics and the Epstein files
• 36:25 - The U.A.P. activity at Eglin Air Force Base
• 41:02 - The "mosaic" around the J.F.K. assassination
• 47:50 - U.A.P. evidence
• 54:30 - Whistleblower retribution and protections
• 57:57 - Secret programs: "A stronger dose of strangeness"

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

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