James and Al defend Dr. Fauci and analyze Biden’s improving electoral prospects after the Trump trial verdict and the recent primaries before welcoming propaganda expert Peter Pomerantsev. They discuss how the successful British information campaign against the Nazis broadcast from an in-group and absurdist perspective to undermine the party’s leadership and create a safe space for dissenters to criticize the regime. Then they look at how similar techniques could be used to undermine Putin and e...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 252
James and Al preview Trump’s imminent Manhattan verdict, call for the SCOTUS to be on the ballot, demand a higher minimum wage, and welcome the Financial Times’ Ed Luce. They discuss Labor’s prospects in the upcoming British elections, how the conservatives have decimated the country, the rising radicalism of the Right, Europe’s leadership post-Brexit, and the budding alliance between MAGA and the Tories. They also game out Putin’s next moves, how to counter China, nuclear proliferation in Asia,...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 251
James and Al lay out the hard choices facing the Biden campaign, blast corruption on the Supreme Court, and welcome Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi to dive into geopolitics. They start by exploring US-Sino relations, covering President Xi’s governing philosophy, the enslavement of the Uighurs, what a successful trade policy looks like, how to bolster our regional alliances, and the need to protect Taiwan. Then, they look at the effects of Iran’s presidential succession and how to counter Russia’s total...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 250
James and Al tear into Trump for seeking bribes from Big Oil, blast the MSM for failing to cover what matters, share their take on the recent polls and primaries, and welcome historian Heather Cox Richardson. They draw parallels between contemporary politics and the Civil War era, exploring MAGA’s regressive roots, our democracy’s war with demagoguery, the electorate’s disillusionment, and why J6 represents a new “Lost Cause”. They also cover the corruption of the judicial system and the modern ...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 249
James and Al reflect on Trump’s ongoing trial, the need for Biden to run a focused campaign, and the future of Gaza before welcoming author and journalist Katherine Stewart. They discuss the rise of the Christian nationalism movement in the USA, exploring how it relates to popular Christianity, its exploitation of the culture war and other political strategies it uses, and its tendency towards hierarchy, dominionism, and authoritarianism. They also examine its relationship to Trump and the moder...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 248
Guest host Paul Begala joins Al to analyze the factors driving the ‘24 election and the dangers of another Trump term before speaking with UC President Emeritus Mark Yudof. They discuss where the pro-Palestine protests fit in the history of campus movements, how an oppressor/oppressed schema contributes to anti-Israel and anti-Semetic sentiment, why support for Israel is a liberal position, and where the line is between constitutionally protected speech and threatening action. With no end to the...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 247
James and Al game out Trump’s prosecution, reluctantly give credit to Speaker Johnson, and castigate the SCOTUS, before welcoming retired General John Allen to discuss our place in world affairs. They look at the effects of the foreign aid package, how to continue to support our allies, and the next phase of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars. Their analysis also dives into the evolving duties of the Marine Corps, how warfare is waged on the information battlefield, the challenges that def...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 246
James and Al dive into Congress’ handling of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and analyze the politically transformative effects of Dobbs on the Republican party. Then they welcome legal expert Fred Wertheimer to discuss the progression of Trump’s first criminal trial, how the charges can be proven, and developments in the other legal challenges confronting him. They also are joined by political strategist Billy Ray to explore how identity politics have moved Democrats away from eff...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 245
James and Al decry Islamophobia and welcome MN Senator Tina Smith to discuss foreign relations and the Dobbs decision’s role in our politics. Following anti-abortion revanchism under the Comstock Act and extreme restrictions in red states, they analyze how to fight back by enacting legislation to secure women’s rights, the policies that will energize young voters, and what it will take to win state and national elections. They also strategize about how to overcome pro-Putin Republicans in the Ho...
Apr 11, 2024•58 min•Ep. 244
James and Al critique coastal elitism, explore how the Israel-Gaza war ends, and welcome Justice Breyer to discuss the role of the Supreme Court and its judges. They compare textualism and pragmatism using Justice Scalia as a foil, weigh the factors that go into reading the Constitution, debate politics’ place on the bench, review the ethics governing the court, and look at why public approval of the judicial branch is plummeting. In their conversation they also break down the language of the 2n...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 243
James and Al take Rep. Jim Jordan to task for continuing to spew lies about the 2020 election and review the status of Trump’s many trials, their possible outcomes, and their effect on the race. They also debate what NBC’s firing of Ronna McDaniel says about the state of network journalism, and weigh how RFK Jr. affects the election after his vice presidential pick. Author and sports journalist John Feinstein joins them to discuss March Madness, the business of sports, Pete Rose’s fall from grac...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 242
James and Al tear into the Orban government and analyze Trump’s influence on the Ohio Senate race before welcoming Admiral James Stavridis to discuss the global military landscape. They explore strategies for success in the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts, game out an effective response to threats against Taiwan, and look at how war fighting will evolve in the future. Then, they are joined by Dr. Cornelia Griggs for a reflection on the state of our healthcare system, current pandemic p...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 241
James and Al destroy the RNC and Senator Katie Britt’s SOTU response, before welcoming authors of “White Rural Rage” Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman for a demographic deep dive. They expose the disproportionate influence of rural White voters, analyze the factors driving their regional decline, and explain how Republicans have leveraged their grievances to win a larger share of their vote. Then, they prove that rhetoric has not translated into results on issues like coal mining expansion and rural...
Mar 14, 2024•58 min•Ep. 240
James and Al give their take on Super Tuesday and the impact of a Trump conviction, before welcoming journalist Evan Osnos. They analyze Biden’s electoral prospects and the validity of the polls, looking at how his personality has changed, whether he is fit to serve, and how to win over the doubters. Then, they preview the potential and peril of the upcoming SOTU and evaluate the arguments driving his campaign strategy, including how to speak effectively about the increase in the cost of living,...
Mar 07, 2024•59 min•Ep. 239
James and Al expose the hypocrisy of Jim Jordan and Matt Schlapp and welcome PA Senator Bob Casey. They discuss the role of President Biden in down ballot elections, what it will take to win in PA, and the issues most important to voters. They cover how Republican obstruction is exacerbating the border crisis and undermining national security, laying out how support for Ukraine and Israel makes us safer and boosts domestic manufacturing. They also dive into Senator Casey’s work on the fentanyl c...
Feb 29, 2024•53 min•Ep. 238
James and Al skewer the radical Republicans complicit in the events of J6 and welcome former presidential advisor and Lincoln biographer Sidney Blumenthal. They shut down the corruption allegations targeting President Biden, discuss the capture of MAGA by Putin and propaganda, and lay out the threat Russia poses to our elections and allies. Then, they dive into the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, examining what made him such an effective politician, key moments on his path to the presidency, ...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 237
James and Al celebrate the Democrats win of George Santos’ seat, blast Republicans for stopping the border bill, take on Robert Hur, and welcome law professor Pam Karlan. They discuss what will go into the SCOTUS rulings on Trump’s immunity and ballot cases and whether the justices will attempt to “split the baby”. Then they debate Judge Cannon’s impartiality in the Mar-A-Lago documents case and explore what can be done if she gets out of line. Critically, they lay out the timelines of Trump’s c...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 236
James and Al fire off on the continuing MAGA takeover of the Republican Party that led to the scuttling of the Democrats’ national security and immigration bill, and welcome NYT journalist Adam Nagourney. They discuss the role of The New York Times as a media institution, its mission, its leadership, and the scandals and financial challenges it has overcome to deliver us the news. Adam gives an inside scoop on the events that led to editorial page editor James Bennet’s resignation, the struggle ...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 235
James and Al break down the border battle and skewer Republican attacks on Taylor Swift, before welcoming historian Sean Wilentz. They discuss the best media practices for covering Trump, recent parallels to the Civil War, the role the SCOTUS plays in maintaining our democracy, and how to put an end to Trump’s rolling coup. Then, James and Al are joined by AP’s Global Enterprise Editor Indira Lakshmanan to lay out the Iranian threat, and explore how the Middle Eastern nations relate to one anoth...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 234
James and Al analyze the New Hampshire primary results and lay out the evidence of the Republican Party’s capitulation to Trump. Then, they welcome journalist Joshua Green to explore how the combination of the 2008 financial crisis and pandemic’s economic effects led to the rebellion on the Democratic Left, represented by Elizabeth Warren, AOC, and Bernie Sanders. They discuss the electoral viability of the rebels’ policy positions, the ways that their politics have influenced successful moderat...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 233
James and Al dive into the state of the race after the Iowa caucus by examining the performances of the candidates and the role of third parties before welcoming Rep. Rosa DeLauro. They game out the upcoming budget battle facing the divided Congress, explain why we’re stuck with continuing resolutions, and weigh the potential replacement of Speaker Johnson. With essential services supporting vulnerable women and children on the line thanks to radical Republicans’ willingness to shut down the gov...
Jan 18, 2024•58 min•Ep. 232
James and Al dive into the upcoming primaries, the budget battle being waged by Speaker Johnson, and the intensifying debate around border policy. Then, they welcome former executive editor of The New York Times, Jill Abramson, to consider the implications of Claudine Gay’s firing and discuss how the media is dealing with Trump ahead of the Iowa caucus. Between the free coverage Trump can harness with his outrageous actions and the media bubbles locking in voters, will President Biden be able to...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 231
James and Al skewer so-called family values Republicans after recent scandals and welcome polling experts Fred Yang and Jim Gerstein. They dive into the weak numbers being put up by the Biden campaign, analyzing what’s bringing them down, the composition of the electorate, the role of 3rd party candidates, the messaging challenges ahead, and how to take the lead. They cover the effects of inflation, the crisis at the border, the lack of enthusiasm among young and minority voters, the Israel-Hama...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 230
James and Al welcome Stanford Law’s Pam Karlan, academy member George Stevens, and economic maven Roger Altman to get their takes on the year ahead in their field of expertise. In the financial arena, they cover the importance of the economy to a Democratic victory in 2024, the factors driving inflation, and how we managed to avoid the predicted recession. Legally, they look ahead to the coming developments facing Trump in his court cases, and what’s next in the intensifying battle over reproduc...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 229
In this special holiday episode, James and Al take Netanyahu to task for his failures and welcome their spouses Judy Woodruff and Mary Matalin. They explore the causes driving the partisan divisions that have come to define our politics, including the demise of local media, the salience of racism, and how we’ve come to disregard anything that comes from the other side. Building off of their conclusions, they discuss how we can rebuild a sense of community, hold conversations that move us forward...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 228
James and Al analyze the ominous poll numbers confronting President Biden, dissect the issues driving them, and try to find the way forward. They also compare his support with Trump’s, and look ahead to the effects of the ongoing criminal cases and weigh whether the Supreme Court will throw him a lifeline. From there, they fire off on the Ivy League in the aftermath of their public relations fiasco, lambast Netanyahu for his failed leadership, and tear apart the evidence-free House impeachment i...
Dec 14, 2023•49 min•Ep. 227
James and Al tear apart the premise and political opportunism of the renewed attempt to impeach President Biden, and welcome Professor Marci Hamilton for a wide ranging conversation about religion and speech. They break down how the lowering of the barriers between Church and State goes against the principles of the founding, and look at the consequences if the Right successfully removes them. Then, they explore where limits should lie on campus speech using the aftermath of the October 7th atta...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 226
James and Al share how Hunter Biden has outmaneuvered the partisan investigations of his family, give an update on the Republican primary, and welcome journalist Tim Alberta to discuss the modern evangelical movement and its alliance with Trump. They investigate how the faith has been co-opted by politics and culture, driven by the apocalyptic view that envisions Democrats as waging a war on Christianity. While doing so, they cover how religion has moved away from scripture, the disintegration o...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 225
James and Al discuss the Israel-Hamas cease fire, give tribute to Rosalynn Carter, and welcome Judge John Tunheim on the anniversary of JFK’s assassination. They dive into his work reviewing the confidential documents that were released, and weigh the events of that day in pursuit of the truth. They cover the single bullet theory, the importance of the Zapruder film, whether the FBI and CIA can be trusted about their role, and the actions of Lee Harvery Oswald and Jack Ruby. With some materials ...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 224
James and Al condemn Republicans in each branch of government and welcome polling expert and author of Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America , John Della Volpe. They analyze the growing cynicism of key parts of the Democratic coalition and discuss how vigorous campaigning, exciting young surrogates, and strong messaging around Biden’s accomplishments can bring them to the polls. While doing so, they highlight the critical role of Millenial and Gen Z voters while e...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 223
