Yes, unfortunately, you read that episode title, right: Today is Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos' last episode of Beyond Politics. Before we got into her big send off, we had to talk about the whole mess of things that are going on from the Trump administration. What's the most concerning? Is there a constitutional crisis happening right now? And what do we think is really the strategy going on behind all of this? And then at the end, yes, we did get to our send off for Alicia with some very special...
Feb 14, 2025•36 min
While all the focus has been on Trump's executive orders and funding freezes affecting billions of dollars, under the radar, Congress is starting to make decisions affecting trillions of dollars and vital functions of government that Americans rely on. Matt Robison and Congressional insider Ryan McConaghy explore the Democrats' potential leverage points and strategies in the huge upcoming Congressional battles and where everything could land.00:00 Introduction: The Overlooked Question in Trump's...
Feb 11, 2025•34 min
Alicia Preston returns to our regular panel, and like all thoughtful friends, she's brought gifts. In this case, a new poll suggesting that even Republicans are quickly souring on the Elon Musk show, and he may be about to drag Donald Trump down with him. We also got into the less than effective communications that Democrats have been mounting in opposition to Trump over the past two weeks, and the truly awful, obscenely immoral thing that Trump and Musk just did. And hang on until the end when ...
Feb 07, 2025•37 min
Strategic Zen in the Trump Era: Navigating Exhaustion and Overwhelm: Matt Robison joins radio legend Howard Monroe to discuss the coping strategy of 'Strategic Zen' to deal with the overwhelming nature of Trump's second administration. They discuss how critical it is for Democrats to differentiate between significant moves and more transient actions, and how overreacting to every development is counterproductive. 02:33 The Strategic Zen Approach to Trump's Actions 03:36 Interview with Howard Mon...
Feb 04, 2025•33 min
Democrats vs Trump's Tactics: How to Beat the Flood the Zone Strategy. Matt Robison, Matt Wylie, and Paul Hodes discuss how Democrats should respond to the outpouring of pronouncements and Executive Orders from Donald Trump's administration. Democrats may be falling into the trap that Trump's team intended--but it's not that hard to see it and stay out of it. 01:06 The Spending Freeze Saga 06:51 Democratic Exhaustion and Disengagement 10:45 Trump's Performative Politics 15:15 Immigration and the...
Jan 31, 2025•49 min
Cross Purposes: The Broken Connection Between Christianity and American Democracy Matt Robison explores the relationship between Christianity and American democracy with Brookings scholar and Atlantic author Jonathan Rauch. They discuss the themes of Rauch's new book, Cross Purposes , which argues that the health of America's political and religious institutions are deeply intertwined. The conversation delves into the decline of Christianity's influence, the rise of secular substitutes, and the ...
Jan 28, 2025•52 min
It's been a blitzkrieg of executive orders from President Donald Trump in his first week. But is it all a huge deal or is it more like Shakespeare said, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing? That's the question weo wanted to put to our round-table today and Once again, we had a pinch hit from our friend, Matt Wylie, who was super subbing in for Alicia Preston. We covered immigration, climate agreements, energy production, and controversial measures like birthright c...
Jan 24, 2025•44 min
Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement--a rare case of productive teamwork between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in brokering the deal? The Jack Smith report detailing Trump's alleged crimes related to January 6th and classified documents. Pete Hegseth's controversial confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense. And finally Alicia Preston's birthday so who's the second greatest person born on her birthday? 00:28 Ceasefire Agreement Between Israel and Hamas 02:12 Trump and Biden's Roles in the Ceasefire...
Jan 17, 2025•43 min
Matt Robison and radio legend Howard Monroe separate the real, subtle threats posed by artificial intelligence from the kinds of things we stress about in movies. Then: why Democrats need to avoid falling into the "Trump fallacy." And finally, an audio adaptation of Matt's most recent Newsweek column on why Congress needs to step in and ban fraternities and sororities on college campuses. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 03:00 Howard Monroe Radio Show: Health and Humor 06:43 The Real Danger of AI...
Jan 14, 2025•37 min
Matt, Paul, and Alicia hit the biggest stories unfolding this week, starting with the Los Angeles wildfires and the way in which the politics of global warming have already entered the picture, even as people are still at risk. Also, Joe Biden's assertion that if he had stayed in the race, he would have won; the end of all of the Donald Trump legal cases and the confusing muddled pile up it's turned into and what it ultimately means; the question of how Republicans are going to try to pass the T...
Jan 10, 2025•39 min
Was Jimmy Carter really a failed President? Ahead of his funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, Matt Robison and historian Dr. Erik Loomis take a clear-eyed, unvarnished look at a presidency and historic legacy that are more complicated, and at times more successful, than we remember. 00:00 Introduction: Reflecting on Jimmy Carter's Legacy 02:17 Jimmy Carter's Early Life and Political Rise 04:33 Carter's Relationship with Racism and Segregation 07:42 Media Perception and Public Im...
Jan 07, 2025•37 min
A Stellar Year: Space Discoveries and Cosmic Wonders of 2024 Matt Robison is joined by astronomy professor John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire, also known as 'the Sky Guy'. They delve into the most fascinating space-related events of 2024, including the Great North American Eclipse, new moons around Uranus and Neptune, significant finds from the James Webb Space Telescope, and intriguing developments in early universe theories. They also look ahead to future missions like the Eur...
Jan 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min
PART TWO of the "Boppies": our annual award show of the highlights and lowlights in news, politics, and current events for 2024. We dive into the most intriguing public opinion and demographic data of 2024, biggest science story, the year's defining moment, and the "Winner" of the year. 02:07 Public Opinion Fact of the Year 11:54 Best First of 2024 20:49 Breakthroughs in Science: Top Stories of the Year 33:14 Defining Moments of 2024 36:48 Who Won the Year?
Dec 31, 2024•40 min
It's the "Boppies": our annual award show of the highlights and lowlights in news, politics, and current events for 2024. In Part One we cover categories such as Most Valuable Player (MVP) on both the Democratic and Republican sides, 'Perp of the Year,' and the most significant news stories of 2024. 00:00 Opening Remarks and Fashion Highlights 03:10 Introducing the Gala and Categories 03:37 Democratic MVP Nominees 08:36 Republican MVP Nominees 13:44 Perp of the Year: Political Scandals 20:32 Bes...
Dec 27, 2024•32 min
How did Elon Musk corner Donald Trump into a fit of chaos that could shutter the entire US government? Matt, Paul, and guest panelist Republican political consultant Matt Wylie discuss how the rapid meltdown could be a preview of the next four years of Trump giving Republicans fits. We also analyze Trump's lawsuits against media figures and the chilling effect on journalism, and a close look at the big Daylight Savings Time fight. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Host Announcement 01:34 House Speake...
Dec 20, 2024•47 min
Did American Jews Mess Up Hanukkah and How Can It Be Fixed? Matt Robison explores how American Jews altered Hanukkah in an attempt to align it with the new "American Christmas," of the 19th century, and why the initiative never really worked. 00:00 Introduction and Article Overview 02:09 The Cultural Confluence of Hanukkah and Christmas 02:31 The Historical Context of Hanukkah 03:42 The Commercialization of Christmas and Its Impact on Hanukkah 05:41 The Failure of the Hanukkah Makeover 08:08 Pro...
Dec 18, 2024•13 min
Matt, Paul and Alicia started off with President Biden's record-setting number of clemency petitions and that led right into the question of whether we're living in a Trump warp where everything that we do is being bent around Trump or our fears of what he might do in the future. We also talked about the bizarre, cruel online reaction to alleged murderer Luigi Mangione and what it says about where we are culturally. And finally we had to hit two late breaking stories. Donald Trump being named Ti...
Dec 13, 2024•35 min
The Fall of Assad Throws the Future of the Middle East Into Uncertainty. Matt is joined by former Middle East editor for the Associated Press, Dan Perry, to discuss the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and its implications for the Middle East. What will it mean for the stability of Syria and the broader region, and what is the impact on global politics including the US, Israel, Europe, Russia, and Iran? They also touch on the complexities of the US State Department's response, th...
Dec 10, 2024•26 min
Assessing Nominee Threats, Hunter Biden's Pardon, and 2024's Word of the Year: Matt, Paul, and Alicia engage in a lively debate about which Trump nominee, Kash Patel or Peter Hegseth, poses a greater threat to America. They also discuss President Biden's recent pardon of his son, Hunter, and reach a counterintuitive conclusion. The show wraps up with an amusing yet thought-provoking discussion on Oxford's 2024 word of the year, and its implications for society. 00:00 Introduction and Game Setup ...
Dec 06, 2024•34 min
Matt, Paul, and Alicia look at the question from Matt's most recent Newsweek column : is Trump falling into the mandate trap? New numbers from post-election analysis pain a pretty clear picture of what voters want and the limits of what voters want. In the case of Trump, there are very sharp limits on what voters will tolerate, and he seems to be pushing past them already. 01:06 Election Analysis: Trump's Mandate 03:13 Hakeem Jeffries and the Freedom Caucus 05:37 Political Negotiations and Compr...
Nov 29, 2024•36 min
We're joined by Mark Jacob, former editor for both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. His most recent book is "Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein shook up the world of sports. " It's a remarkable story about how a 5-3 Jewish immigrant became one of the most important figures in American sports history. Abe Saperstein founded the Harlem Globetrotters. His drive, determination, and creativity led to, among other things, the integration of basketball, the three-point line, and breaking ba...
Nov 26, 2024•51 min
Matt Gaetz is out. But Peter Hegseth is still in and so are a bunch of other Trump nominees who have a mix of no qualifications and disqualifications, How are senators supposed to weigh those factors, especially when they depend on accusations> And how do we prevent nominations like this from becoming another polarizing Brett Kavanaugh-esque test that forces each side into their partisan corners and ultimately just results in giving Donald Trump what he wants? Also, Representative Nancy Mace'...
Nov 22, 2024•41 min
Matt Robison and Howard Monroe explore not only why things under Trump may not be as bad as they seem at first, but why it's so critical for people to feel better, more upbeat, and more positive about politics. 00:39 The Dismal Seriousness of American Politics 01:08 The Election and Trump's Cabinet Nominations 02:18 Making Politics Fun Again 03:39 The Impact of Media and Messaging 07:07 Challenges for the Democratic Party 16:33 Trump's Nominations and Their Implications 28:31 Concluding Thoughts...
Nov 19, 2024•31 min
Trump Appoints Matt Gaetz as Attorney General: Political Comedy or Crisis? Hosts Matt , Paul, and Alicia discuss Donald Trump's controversial decision to nominate Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, examining the political, ethical, and conspiratorial aspects. They also delve into the qualifications of Trump's other nominations, including Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard, and the implications for a closely divided, Republican-controlled Congress. And we close with a genuinely inspirational, historic m...
Nov 15, 2024•46 min
This is a post election essay that I'm calling "Blue Linings Playbook: the Game Plan Democrats Need After a Disaster." The message is that the election WAS a disaster, but we can manage it. And if you look hard, there are even some upsides for the long term. 00:00 Introduction: Blue Linings Playbook 01:01 Short-Term Strategies for Democrats 02:19 Trump's Waning Influence 04:11 Executive Actions and Judicial Appointments 05:57 Long-Term Democratic Reformation 11:53 Rebranding and Refocusing the P...
Nov 09, 2024•14 min
There's no sugar coating that it was a terrible night. Matt, Paul, and Alicia discuss not just why voters decided to bring Donald Trump back, but also why there are good reasons to believe that we can mitigate the worst damage from Trump's return, and that if Democrats can face some painful truths, they can chart a course back. 00:00 Introduction and Election Overview 00:22 Analyzing the Election Results 04:00 The Economy and Voter Sentiment 06:31 Democratic Party Challenges 20:43 Voter Disconne...
Nov 06, 2024•34 min
Matt Robison discusses why Kamala Harris is more likely than not to win, even if he (and we) can't feel confident about it. And no matter what happens, after a difficult November to come, why there's hope ahead. 00:00 Introduction and Election Day Predictions 01:27 Media Advantage: TV and Digital Ads 06:38 Ground Game: Mobilizing Voters 09:58 Polling Manipulations and Their Impact 17:18 Why Confidence is Still Shaky 20:01 Preparing for Post-Election Challenges 22:08 Conclusion: Nauseous Optimism...
Nov 04, 2024•22 min
For our last pre-election round table panel we explore whether the unhinged racist rally from Donald Trump over the weekend really will make a critical difference in the election. Also, we each took a swing at giving our closing arguments in the campaign. And finally, we give our tips for what to look for on Tuesday night to get a sense of what happened and who's going to win. 00:50 Trump's Racist Rally and Its Impact 03:02 Latino Voters and Trump's Influence 08:08 Biden's Gaffe and Public React...
Nov 01, 2024•34 min
This week we're talking about the factors that are going to tip the election one way or the other in the final few days, as we're down to a very, very few voters who ultimately hold our fate in their hands. To try to get some insight I wanted to ask my friend, Sam Harris, who hosts one of the fastest growing and most popular psychology podcasts on earth. It's called Growth Mindset and it's a really interesting dive in each episode into a different idea from psychology and how you can apply it to...
Oct 30, 2024•36 min
We are about to find out if Kamala Harris' biggest advantage is going to make the winning difference: a subject I cover in depth in my new column in Newsweek today. One person who knows quite a lot about it and who believes that the answer is yes is Matt Wiley, a Republican political consultant and former executive director of the Massachusetts Republican party who has managed many Senate campaigns. He lays out the case for why he not only thinks Harris' advantage is going to make a difference, ...
Oct 28, 2024•47 min
