This week, the GOP met in Colorado for their third debate, and once again we were struck by how many of them there are! So many candidates, plus Jim Gilmore, the human asterisk. Will this be the debate that finally begins the winnowing? Meanwhile, Congress has actually agreed to a budget deal. At least in principle. Will there be no crises? Will Paul Ryan's sweet Speaker deal get a LOT sweeter? Or will Rand Paul unleash the power of the filibuster to defeat comity? Finally, Elizabeth Warren just...
Oct 29, 2015•1 hr 1 min
This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that they were going to reanimate a zombie deregulation plan from the pre-financial crisis Bush administration, that could tip the balance of power away from Main Street. Meanwhile, imagine a place where a liberal party could declare forthrightly that they were going to run temporary deficits to facilitate infrastructure upgrades, and have the entire country reward this radical honesty with a landslide vote. That nation is Canada, they'...
Oct 23, 2015•1 hr
This week, the Intercept published new information on our drone assassination program, gleaned from a trove of secret documents, which include new details on how targets are selected, and how well we do at hitting those targets. Also, the Democratic candidates for president have had their first primary debate of the season. Now that we've had time to reflect on it, we're going to confront our own conventional wisdom and see if what we said that night still stands up. Who won the debate? It may h...
Oct 15, 2015•1 hr
This week, we bombed some folks. Specifically, a Doctors Without Border hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. President Barack Obama finally came out with an apology, but why the hell did this happen in the first place? Meanwhile, you've heard of the Benghazi Committee, you might know about the Planned Parenthood Committee, but what if we had a Congressional committee focused on reducing gun violence in America? Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) joins us and explains. Finally, if you've watched any televised...
Oct 08, 2015•56 min
This week, Donald Trump provided us with some evidence that he might really be a serious candidate by doing something that a serious candidate would do -- release a tax plan claiming to benefit some people when it really benefits others. Meanwhile, this week, the House Oversight Committee erupted into furor over Planned Parenthood, staging an all-day marathon of angry blather. Are we headed for a government shutdown over this? We'll talk to Rep. Reed Ribble (R- Wisc.) who wants to defund the org...
Oct 01, 2015•55 min
This week, Pope Francis comes to the United States, driving around in his Fiat, paying President Obama a visit, and taking his act to a joint session of Congress for a round of grand-master level thought leadering. Much of the focus in the lead up to his DC visit concerned what he's had to say on the environment and immigration. We'll talk about what he said to lawmakers, and the extent to which he might change people's minds on those issues.Meanwhile, politicians just want to rock! But what hap...
Sep 24, 2015•53 min
This week, the 278 candidates vying for the Republican nomination gathered in the seamiest of valleys to debate one another. Or, sorry, deal with Donald Trump. New York Times magazine's Ana Marie Cox joins us for some debate post-game analysis. Meanwhile, Washington DC is bracing for a visit from Pope Francis, coming to America at a time in which his message about income inequality is resonating -- especially among liberals. The Washington Examiner's Tim Carney helps us get jesuitical. Finally, ...
Sep 18, 2015•54 min
This week Congress is set to return from Labor Day weekend, and once again we find ourselves staring down the prospect of government shutdown. Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro joins us to explain the next coming chapter of political dysfunction. Meanwhile, it's starting to look more and more as if the Iran deal is here to stay. But just because the deal is nearly done, that doesn't mean opponents have any plan to retreat. We discuss the shape of Iran hawkery to come. Finally, if you liste...
Sep 11, 2015•53 min
This week we examine the legacy of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, which has just secured its political survival in the Senate. Also Congress is coming back after August recess which means the government is probably going to shut down. We also talk to Sec. Tom Vilsack about problems facing the national school lunch program. Meanwhile, in 2016 land, Donald Trump is still running for president and Hillary Clinton has an incredibly stupid e-mail scandal on her hands. Hosted on Acast. See ...
Sep 03, 2015•51 min
This week, the shocking murder of two television journalists in Virginia forced us to confront the fact that America only seems to be good at producing mass shooting tragedies. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy joins us to see whether Congress has finally reached the point of attempting to solve this problem. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is doing everything he can to alienate every last Latino voter. Will his flamboyant hostility accrue to the eventual GOP nominee? Joining us is NPR's Latino USA digital ...
Aug 28, 2015•1 hr 2 min
This week, we learned about the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, an interagency outfit set up to bring the nation's most elite interrogators to fight terror. But what we've learned kind of calls the entire"elite" thing into question. Meanwhile, a group Northwestern University football players snapped the ball to the National Labor Relations Board, hoping that the NLRB would run a play that would get student athletes closer to real labor rights. Unfortunately, the NLRB chose to punted. An...
Aug 21, 2015•57 min
This week, Bernie Sanders had what might have been a dream week as a presidential candidate, drawing bigger crowds than anyone in the presidential race. But Sanders was also subjected to a Black Lives Matter protest. Can Sanders' new racial justice platform win them over? Also, we talked to Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and HuffPost's own Ryan Reilly about the absurd criminal charges filed against them for being journalists covering Ferguson. And Lawrence Lessig just joined the 2016 Democ...
Aug 14, 2015•52 min
This week, we cover the wild wonders of the first Republican Presidential debates. We hate to say it, but Donald Trump won. Carly Fiorina also won, because there were actually two debates. Everyone else landed somewhere between meh and oops-I-lost-my-donors. Much like Clarissa, we explain it all. Also, someone give Sen. Lindsey Graham a hug. Please. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 07, 2015•44 min
On this week's podcast, we game out the survival strategy for the seventeen GOP candidates who hope to succeed in August's debate, check in on the progress Congress has made on the highway funding bill, and note the irony of Phil Gramm returning to DC to testify against Dodd-Frank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 30, 2015•43 min
On this week's podcast, we look back on Elizabeth Warren ripping apart a rip-off artist from Primerica, break down the latest effort to pass a highway funding bill, and explain why a former NSA chief is talking to a bunch of fruit growers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 23, 2015•55 min
This week we talk to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) about austerity in Greece and banking regulations at home, break down the latest attack on Planned Parenthood, and examine the way unlimited money is wrecking the RNC's hopes for an orderly primary season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 16, 2015•44 min
This week we examine the austerity battles in Greece, break down the latest stage of the Iran nuclear talks, and we get a real world account of what happens when Congress cuts off your access to food. Plus, the Daily Caller's Tucker Carlson is a huge Grateful Dead fan, who knew? He joins us to talk about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 09, 2015•1 hr 1 min
On this week's podcast, Dana Liebelson joins us to discuss her recent exposé of the prison system in Michigan, where children -- commingled with adult criminals -- are being broken, not rehabilitated. Plus: we discuss last week's marriage equality ruling, this week's new overtime regulation, and we talk to Laura Bassett about England's heartbreaking loss in the Women's World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 02, 2015•33 min
This week we hear from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) about his bill to pursue police demilitarization, discuss the confederate flag and the aftermath of the Emanuel AME church shooting in Charleston, debrief on the Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare subsidies and find out why the state of Florida actually banished one of its residents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 25, 2015•55 min
On this week's podcast, we talk to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about how he would get things done as president, discover the joys of hearing a magic trick delivered by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), chat with Rep. Keith Ellison about the fast track trade bill's life after death and finally, we get the details on a bill preventing U.S. ground troops in the fight against the Islamic State. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 18, 2015•46 min
This week we asked Senator Eilzabeth Warren (D-Mass.) if Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan Should be fired (she didn't say no), discuss strategic defaulting on student loan debt, and get the scoop from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on the latest fast track vote in Congress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 11, 2015•38 min
On this week's podcast, we get excited about some sporting updates, get the lowdown on newly passed USA Freedom Act and discuss why Senator Elizabeth Warren isn't happy with SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 05, 2015•44 min
This week we discuss how and why FIFA officials were arrested over a wide array of corruption charges, how crowded the 2016 GOP presidential field is getting and finally how the House is hoping to keep countries with oppressive labor and human trafficking records party to the President's already controversial fast track free trade bill.Guests: HuffPost Reporters Zach Carter, Arthur Delaney, Laura Barron Lopez and Ryan Grim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 29, 2015•59 min
This week we look into legislation passed in Texas restricting access to abortions for minors, compare and contrast federal legislation aimed at curbing what food stamps can buy with the fact that Congress want us to give them more money and we conclude our conversation from last week on Seymour Hersh's controversial claims about the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 21, 2015•56 min
This week we'll take a look at a trade deal that's so contentious, President Barack Obama is finding himself at odds with congressional leaders in his own party. We'll reflect on the tragic Amtrak train accident that left eight people dead, and discuss what role infrastructure funding can play in preventing this from happening again. Then, we'll discuss Seymour Hersh's new piece, which has become the center of a lot of criticism. Should his article be dismissed, or should it encourage other repo...
May 16, 2015•45 min
This week we take a look into some of the backstory explaining Baltimore's issues with inequality in the wake of protests after Freddie Gray's death, get the scoop on arguments heard this week in the Supreme Court's landmark case on same sex marriage and explore some of the complexities surrounding campaign finance laws and Hillary Clinton's run for president. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 01, 2015•1 hr
This week we look at one Washington State community in which the battle for a $15 dollar minimum wage has been won, discuss the latest developments in the political battle over the Trans Pacific Partnership, and discuss the 2016 election by talking about how much we hate the 2016 election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 24, 2015•42 min
This week, Hillary Clinton launched her campaign, but didn't order sofritas at Chipotle, the House of Representatives voted to offer upwards of 250 billion dollars in handouts to needy, filthy rich Americans and a man flew a gyrocopter onto the U.S. Capitol lawn to get us to talk about campaign finance reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 17, 2015•35 min
This week, we discuss the fall out from the Columbia Journalism Review report on Rolling Stone Magazine’s “A Rape On Campus” story, Rand Paul’s campaign strategy of talking down to reporters, and why Democrats have been obscuring their positions in support of more deregulations for big banks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 10, 2015•41 min
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) one-upped Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) over the handling of controversial religious freedom legislation, there's a new hope for millions of Americans living on the ragged edge of homelessness, and since April Fool's Day was this week, we explore the dark side of all the foolery.This week's episode features: Arthur Delaney, HuffPost Senior ReporterJen Bendery, HuffPost White House Correspondent Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 03, 2015•51 min
