Schumer, Liberals Ban Everything, Judge McAfee, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump’s RNC

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Trey & Ken start the episode with a deep dive into Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Senate speech on Israel, Hamas, and Benjamin Netanyahu. This includes a discussion of the norm breaking nature of calling for a vote on a democratically elected leader, if the Biden administration is giving in to more leftist voices, and the extent to which the U.S. may change its behavior in relationship to Israel.

Next is a conversation on a series of orders from Judge McAfee on Trump’s cases, including throwing out six charges, and the requirement that Nathan Wade step down (which is now official).

Finally the pair close the show with a discussion of the recent firings and memos out of the RNC. Ken believes the restructure will take money away from Republican candidates and help Democrats, Trey thinks it is unwise to underestimate Trump’s ability to effectively campaign.

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Women in Politics

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Kimberly talks with Mary Chung Hayashi, national healthcare advocate, former California State Assembly member, Principal of Public Policy & Advocacy Solutions, and author of Women in Politics: Breaking Down the Barriers to Achieve True Representation.

Topics Kimberly & Mary discuss include:

  • Why we’re still having the same discussions about increasing the number of women in politics, even though not only women—but Americans as a whole—benefit from having women in elected government positions
  • Why women shouldn’t focus on what they’re lacking, but instead focus on what they can ‘bring to the table’
  • How Mary’s personal experience as an immigrant woman of Asian descent has brought her face-to-face with the plethora of challenges all women face running for—and serving in—public office, and strategies to overcome these barriers
  • The often-invisible biases against women of color running for office
  • Why it’s important for women with political ambitions to cultivate the support of men
  • The many ways in which men seeking or in political office benefit from a societal double standard for men and women
  • Why women should be encouraged, regardless of their political affiliation, to participate in politics
  • The importance of breaking down the imagination barrier to encourage both men and women to rethink their own preconceived notions about women’s roles
  • While money matters, and men almost always have more financial support, deep pockets aren’t necessarily the only way to win an election

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Super Tuesday, Trump Insurrection Ruling, State of the Union

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Mike & Jay open the episode with a look at the results of the most uncompetitive Super Tuesday ever, considering Nikki Haley’s position and whether the 2024 Presidential race is Donald Trump’s to lose at this point. They also discuss Senator Mitch McConnell’s endorsement of Trump in the context of McConnell’s remarks concerning Trump in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riot.

Following that they consider the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that states can’t remove Donald Trump from the ballot for being an insurrectionist. Both Mike and Jay agree with the decision. Mike argues that the Court’s three liberals and Justice Barrett were right in arguing that the opinion was too broad, a position with which Jay disagrees.

They close by discussing President Biden’s State of the Union address, both on policy and whether or not it demonstrated that Biden may be up for the rigors of a presidential campaign. That leads to a broader discussion of campaigning, communicating, and governing.

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The Economic Government of the World

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Kimberly Weir, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Northern Kentucky University talks with Martin Daunton, Professor Emeritus of Economic History at the University of Cambridge. Professor Daunton is a former president of the Royal Historical Society and author of The Economic Government of the World From 1933-2023.

Topics Kimberly & Martin discuss include:

  • Why considering the economic events of 1933 is necessary for understanding the multilateral policies and institutions that emerged out of World War II
  • That food and labor security—not economic policies—were much more immediate concerns for policymakers in the first international conferences at the end of World War II
  • How domestic considerations are imperative to successfully coordinate international economic policies
  • Dealing with autocratic governments and increased populism when pursuing global economic governance
  • How global institutions (particularly the IMF, World Bank, FAO, and WHO) can aid developing countries, rather than just perpetuate a global economic divide advantaging developed countries
  • How China and Russia, along with the BRIICS bloc, impact global economic governance
  • How resolving countries’ debt is unquestionably tied to tackling climate change

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Trump’s Immunity, Presidential Race, Government Funding

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Mike, Jay, and University of Northern Iowa political scientist Justin Holmes open the episode with a discussion of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear Donald Trump’s ex-presidential immunity case. While they all agree it’s an important issue that needs to be ruled on by the Court, Mike and Justin are more concerned about the Court’s schedule than Jay is.

Next, they consider the results of the Michigan primary elections and what they might suggest about the near-inevitable Biden-Trump rematch. Mike argues that the seemingly large number of ‘uncommitted’ Democratic votes isn’t as big of a deal as many have made it out to be. Justin makes the case that the results point to issues for both Biden and Trump. Jay thinks most Democratic and Republican voters will ‘come home’ in the end.

They close with an examination of the recent short-term continuing resolutions to avert a government shutdown. Jay once again makes the point that Republicans almost always suffer politically when they shut down the government. Justin says government funding by continuing resolution is both common these days and not at all desirable, while Mike wonders about what this all says about Speaker Mike Johnson and his promise to return to a ‘normal’ budget process.

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Ukraine War, Student Debt Forgiveness, Alabama IVF Ruling, Diversity Admissions

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Mike and May open with a discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the latest US sanctions as the war reaches the two-year mark. May is unclear as to the US’s goals and argues that this is reflected in declining public support for Ukraine. Mike believes the lack of support breaks down more along partisan lines, with Democrats more supportive than Republicans, and that the US goal is clear – to prevent Russia from overrunning Ukraine and to send a strong message to our allies and adversaries around the world.

Next is a look at the Biden administration’s latest student loan debt forgiveness. Neither Mike nor May feel this is the best policy, but Mike sees it as one of the few economic relief levers the administration can pull without getting buy-in from congressional Republicans. They also consider student loan debt forgiveness in light of more fundamental problems with higher education costs.

Following that they get into the ruling by Alabama’s supreme court that a wrongful death suit can go forward against a person accused of destroying frozen embryos at an IVF facility. They agree that the court made the right call based on Alabama’s constitution and the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor statute, and debate the larger implications of this ruling as well as what legislative action they expect to see in response.

They close by considering why the US Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal to an equal protection challenge to a Virginia high school’s admissions program, as well as how schools across the country can factor diversity into their admission decisions without having their programs invalidated by courts.

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Alexander Ward on Restoring American Foreign Policy

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Mike talks with Alexander Ward, a national security reporter at Politico and anchor of National Security Daily. He’s the author of the recently released book, The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump, which they discuss on this episode.

Topics Mike and Alexander Cover Include:
– why post-Trump foreign policy needed restoration
– comparing Biden and Trump’s Secretaries of State
– Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
– meeting the rising threat from China
– Russia and the war in Ukraine
– Middle East policy
– North Korea
– climate change

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The Constitution: The Right to Bear Arms

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Trey & Ken continue through the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights by diving into the 2nd Amendment. They cover the history of the right, how it was a compromise between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and the current jurisprudence of the 2nd Amendment.

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Trump’s Civil Judgment, Navalny’s Death, Trump’s NATO Remarks, Biden and Netanyahu

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In this packed episode, Trey and Ken start by discussing the breaking news of Donald Trump’s civil judgment of $354.9 million in a New York court. Ken believes it will be difficult for the case to be overturned on appeal due to the need for a bond and because of the nature of the defense.

Following that they move to the next breaking story: the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison. Trey and Ken both agree there is no good response because in large part the normal responses are already engaged. Ken hopes this might push Republicans toward supporting a Ukraine aid package.

Next, the pair turn to Trump’s NATO remarks over the weekend. Trey argues that the comments are terrible, in part because they burn down reasonable arguments over NATO. Ken argues that even if the U.S. had to foot the bill entirely it would be in its best interests to do so.

After that, they turn to a constellation of issues regarding Israel, including the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu. Trey sees the increasingly hostile relationship as a combination of factors, including Israel’s move to eliminate Hamas in its entirety and domestic pressure on Biden’s left. Ken somewhat optimistically believes that Biden can help broker a more lasting peace while looking forward to a two-state solution.

They close with a look at the flipped Santos seat for the Democrats and what that means for Speaker Johnson and the Senate funding bills for Ukraine and Israel.

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Biden’s Cognitive State, Trump Insurrection and Immunity Cases

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Mike and Jay open with a discussion of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Biden’s handling of classified documents. Mike argues that Hur should have been more neutral in his wording, while Jay doesn’t see any significant problems with how Hur presented his findings. They also consider the broader issues of memory, verbal gaffes, and cognitive fitness.

Following that, they consider the oral arguments before the Supreme Court concerning Donald Trump’s eligibility to run for president. They expect either a unanimous or 8-1 decision allowing Trump to run and discuss the multiple reasons why this is the right call.

They close with a look at the D.C. Circuit’s ruling that Donald Trump isn’t immune from prosecution for any actions he took as President. Mike characterizes the argument by Trump as a long-shot aimed at delaying a potential guilty verdict until after the 2024 election. Jay doesn’t disagree and predicts the Supreme Court will hear an inevitable appeal from Trump. Mike hopes the high court doesn’t hear the case at all, letting the D.C. Circuit’s decision stand, and allowing Trump’s trial to move forward as expeditiously as possible.

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