The Politics Guys

This week Trey and Jay start by taking on the Senate's proposed tax plan. It differs from its House counterpart. Trey worries about the deficit and Jay focuses on growth. Next they turn to the major Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and Maine. Both hosts agree that they are not necessarily representative of the country as a whole, but they do point to the Trump problem all Republicans now face: to Trump or not to Trump. After the elections the hosts discuss Trump's week in Asia. They note that the two big areas of concern were North Korea and trade policy. Trey and Jay conclude by discussing the recent Washington Post story arguing that Roy Moore had inappropriate relationships with underage girls. We hope you’ll check out today’s sponsor: ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the one-year anniversary of President Trump's election, we brought back Mike's friend Joe, who Mike talked to in the 'A Trump Supporter Speaks' episode in October of 2016. (http://politicsguys.com/a-trump-supporter-speaks/) At the time, Mike thought it would be good to hear from an actual Trump supporter (as opposed to an 'anyone buy Hillary' Trump voter) to get a sense of how Donald Trump convinced so many people to follow him down a path that would surely lead the Republican Party to a crushing electoral defeat giving President Hillary Clinton House and filibuster-proof Senate majorities Obviously, things didn't turn out that way. One year on, how does an intelligent, decent Trump supporter see the Trump presidency? In this interview you'll find out. (And no - 'intelligent, decent Trump supporter' isn't an oxymoron. Mike says that Joe is one of the smartest and most fundamentally decent people he knows.) Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's extended episode Trey and Mike start off by discussing the GOP Tax Plan. They begin by analyzing the content of the plan. As to the policy itself, Trey is optimistic, but worried about the $1.5 trillion debt increase. Mike sees both positive and negative aspects to the bill, but overall sees the plan as problematic. Then it's time to talk Mueller's indictments. Both Trey and Mike see this as the first step to a larger set of indictments and they agree that critics of the president ought to moderate their joy. It is unlikely that this will bring down the Trump presidency. Next is a discussion of the Halloween ISIS terrorist attack in NYC. Trey stresses that we shouldn't allow terrorist groups to wield fear to change us. He argues that while terrorist organizations are good at spreading fear, they aren't as effective at carrying out plots as the media narrative would suggest. Finally both Trey and Mike address Trump's nomination of "Jay" Powell to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, breaking a recent precedent by former presidents. We hope you’ll consider visiting today’s sponsor: Blue Apron. Check out this week’s menu and get $30 off your first order – with free shipping – by going to http://www.blueapron.com/tpg Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Carter Dougherty, Communications Director of Americans for Financial Reform. They cover a lot of ground in their conversation, including: - Congress overturning the CFPB's arbitration rule - the Equifax security breach - the 2008 financial crisis & Dodd-Frank - government bailouts - prosecutors' unwillingness to go after financial firms - Wall Street's influence in Washington Americans for Financial Reform on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealBankReform Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay start by talking about President Trump's declaration of the opioid crisis as a public health emergency. Mike wonders about the timing of the announcement, which came out a week before the president's opioid commission is scheduled to release its final report, and hopes that significant federal funding will soon follow. Jay thinks federal action may help at the margin, but is concerned about throwing money at the problem. Then, Mike gets to talk about his favorite regulatory agency - the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) though this week he's dismayed at the agency's arbitration rule being overturned by Congress. Jay believes it was a wise move by Congress and the Guys get into a somewhat heated discussion over the merits of class action lawsuits vs arbitration. After that, it's a discussion of what Arizona Senator Jeff Flake's decision to not seek election might mean for the Republican party. Flake's announcement comes in the wake of another Senate Republican, Tennessee's Bob Corker making a similar decision. Finally, Mike and Jay discuss the state of tax reform. Mike's inner idealist comes out and he makes an impassioned plea for some good faith attempts at working across the aisle. Jay argues that Republicans have to be more realistic. We hope you'll check out today's sponsor: ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to http://ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Luis Perez-Breva, a successful serial innovator and director of the Innovation Teams Program at MIT. Dr. Perez-Breva holds degrees in Chemical Engineering, Physics, Business, and Artificial Intelligence. He's an expert in the process of technology innovation, an entrepreneur, and the the author of Innovating: A Doer’s Manifesto for Starting from a Hunch, Prototyping Problems, Scaling Up, and Learning to Be Productively Wrong. (MIT Press 2017). Mike and Dr. Perez-Breva discuss: - whether or not innovation is lagging - if we should be concerned about AI taking millions of jobs - whether 21st century companies are failing at job creation - how innovation works - what government can do to help innovation - what government does that hinders innovation - if government itself needs to be innovated Follow Luis Perez-Breva on Twitter | https://twitter.com/lpbreva Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay start by looking at the bipartisan Senate proposal to stabilize Obamacare markets in the wake of President Trump halting cost-sharing subsidies to insurers, as well as the clever way state insurance regulators are dealing with this major change to the Affordable Care Act. After that, it's a primer on budget resolutions: when they started, what they were intended for, and why they're not almost meaningless ... with one major exception. Mike argues that legislating through budget resolutions is a Very Bad Idea, and says that it would be better if the Senate dropped this facade along with the filibuster. Jay agrees, and also feels that the Senate tradition of Blue Slips - where home state Senators have an effective veto over federal judicial nominations in the state - also no longer makes sense, a position Mike holds as well. Then it's a look at the latest Trump travel ban, which has been blocked by two federal judges. Both Mike and Jay believe that while the travel ban is bad policy, it's not unconstitutional and expect the Supreme Court to eventually uphold it. Finally, the Guys look at the 'Honest Ads Act' a bipartisan (just barely) Senate proposal intended to make it much harder for foreign governments to use social media ads to influence U.S. elections. Mike's Recommended Reading: - The Drug Industry’s Triumph Over The DEA | http://wapo.st/2xVeOd7 - American Rust. Philipp Meyer | http://amzn.to/2xXfrmw Jay's Recommended Reading: - The White-Minstrel Show. Kevin Williamson | http://bit.ly/2xWtZmc We hope you'll check out the sponsor of today's show: Blue Bottle Coffee. Sign up for a free trial of fresh, delicious Blue Bottle Coffee right now at http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/TPG Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To begin the show Trey asks about new information from the presidential election. Specifically, Facebook offered to work with both presidential campaigns but only the Trump campaign agreed to it. Then Trey and Jay respond to listener questions. The first question is about the likelihood of a new WW3 or Civil War. Both agree the likelihood is low, but discuss why it might seem more likely than it is. Then they ask a question about gun policy and why the U.S. seems so fatalistic when it comes to gun legislation. Finally, Jay responds to an extended series of questions from a listener asking for clarification on his Healthcare positions. We hope you’ll check out the sponsors of today’s show: Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to http://www.casper.com/tpg and using promo code tpg DaVinci. Book your space now at http://www.davincimeeting.com/TPG and the first hour is on them!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trey and Jay start this week’s show by discussing Trump’s unilateral action to change the Affordable Health Care Act’s cost-sharing provisions. They talk about the actual changes and the policy implications of the action. This leads to a discussion of the demands Trump sent Congress if they want a deal on Dreamers. After that it’s a look at Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse allegations and the implications for politics. They get into a broader discussion on the implications for politicians on the source of donations. Such a question is particular relevant for Democrats right now, but was the same issue facing Republicans with Trump. Next up is the Boy Scouts seemingly surprising decision to open their doors completely to girls. Jay is enthusiastically supportive. Trey sees the business value but ponders the general trend in society to not have more narrow groups. Finally Trey and Jay discuss how former President Obama’s library will not actually house any documents. Instead, it will be a completely digital repository. They also discuss archiving documents that were originally digital and the challenges for future presidential libraries. ‘ We hope you’ll check out the sponsors of today’s show: Brooklinen. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off AND free shipping by using promo code tpg at http://www.Brooklinen.com Bombfell, where Politics Guys listeners get $25 dollars off their first purchase by going to http://www.bombfell.com/tpg ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay respond to lister questions and comments: if the Ninth Circuit is really the most overturned appellate court (it depends on how you measure), whether we think market-based reforms can lower health care costs (sometimes), if there's ever a case to be made for affirmative action and political correctness (Mike is much more emphatically 'yes' on this than Jay is, as you might expect), whether or not Mike and Jay are wrong for not calling Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions racist (we don't think so), and why 'politicization' is such a dirty word when it comes to weather (Mike says it's not - or at least it shouldn't be, while Jay disagrees). In this episode, Jay recommends SCOTUSBlog (http://bit.ly/2yxjHc2), which Mike also likes and has used for many years. Empirical SCOTUS (http://bit.ly/2yxrmau) is another great site Jay recommends for data on the Supreme Court. We hope you'll consider checking out the sponsors of today's show, who with your help make it possible for us to keep on doing what we do: Brooklinen. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off AND free shipping by using promo code 'tpg' at http://www.Brooklinen.com Bombfell, where Politics Guys listeners get $25 dollars off their first purchase by going to http://www.bombfell.com/tpg ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay start this week's show by discussing the state of gun policy in the United States in the wake of the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas. They get into how the United States is different from other rich countries on the issue, whether liberals are being honest in their arguments, the motives of the NRA, what legislative proposals might be effective, if the left really wants to take away people's guns, and lots more. After that it's a look at partisan gerrymandering, an issue that reach the Supreme Court this week. Mike believes that the Court should - and will - overturn the extreme partisan districts in Wisconsin because political scientists have developed a reasonable standard for determining whether or not a legislative district is unconstitutionally partisan. Jay disagrees, and believes that the Court will ultimately let Wisconsin's redistricting stand. Mike's Recommend Reading & Listening - Budget Reconciliation Explained http://bit.ly/2ywd3mC - Vox's The Weeds on Budget Reconciliation http://bit.ly/2yvvrMi Jay's Recommended Reading - Conscience of a Conservative. Senator Jeff Flake http://amzn.to/2yxXn2h Please help us out by taking part in a short survey that can assist our advertisers and bring you better content. To take the survey, go to http://podcastlistener.com/tpg We hope you'll consider visiting today's sponsor: Blue Apron. Check out this week's menu and get $30 off your first meal - with free shipping - by going to http://blueapron.com/tpg Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to historian Nancy Koehn, who holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Dr. Koehn's research focuses on effective leadership and how leaders, past and present, craft lives of purpose, worth, and impact. She's the author of multiple books, including Ernest Shackleton: Exploring Leadership, The Story of American Business: From the Pages of the New York Times, and Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust from Wedgwood to Dell. Her latest book is Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, which has just been released. Mike and Dr. Koehn discuss the common traits great leaders possess, reasons for declining trust in our political leaders, her advice for those who aspire to be great leaders, her leadership comparison of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and lots more. - follow Dr. Koehn on Twitter | https://twitter.com/nancykoehn - Dr. Kohen's website | http://nancykoehn.com/ - Forged in Crisis (Amazon) | http://amzn.to/2fIEthp We hope you'll check out the sponsor of today's show: Blue Apron. Check out this week's menu and get $30 off your first meal - with free shipping - by going to http://www.blueapron.com/TPG Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay start off this jam-packed episode with a look at the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in the wake of a travel scandal. Mike points out that Price joins an unusually large contingent of former Trump staffers for such a young administration, but both Mike and Jay agree that President Trump did the right thing in forcing Price's resignation. Next, it's a look at the federal government's response to the devestation caused by hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Once again, the Guys agree that the administration's efforts have been good, especially considering the unique challenges presented by Puerto Rico's location, as well as emergency response resources being stretched thin after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. That said, Jay thinks that the Trump team could use some remedial lessons in messaging. After that, the Guys talk about the Alabama Republican Senate primary race, where former judge, and ardent cultural conservative Roy Moore soundly defeated incumbent Luther Strange, despite President Trump's support of Strange. Following that is a discussion of the vote that wasn't on Graham-Cassidy, the latest (and last, for now) GOP attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, a look at the latest Trump travel ban, and Mike and Jay's analysis of the Republicans' tax reform framework. We hope you’ll check out the sponsors of today’s show: DaVinci. Book your space now at http://www.davincimeeting.com/TPG and the first hour is on them! ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy. SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Download the SeatGeek app or go to http://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY today. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to economist Glenn Hubbard. Dr. Hubbard is dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School. In addition to writing more than 100 scholarly articles in economics and finance, Dr. Hubbard is the author of three popular textbooks, as well as co-author of The Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty, Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America, and Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Five Steps to a Better Health Care System. Dr. Hubbard also has a wealth of real-world economic policy experience. From 1991 - 1993 he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. From 2001 until 2003, he was chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush, where he played a key role in the design of the 2003 Bush tax cuts. He also served as an economic advisor to the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney, and the 2016 campaign of Jeb Bush. In the corporate sector, he serves on the boards of ADP, BlackRock Closed-End Funds, and MetLife. Dr. Hubbard is co-chair of the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, a past Chair of the Economic Club of New York, and a past co-chair of the Study Group on Corporate Boards. Mike and Dr. Hubbard discuss the fall of great powers throughout history, whether economists are too disconnected from the real world, pro-growth tax reform, what economists agree on, the value added tax, and lots more. Dr. Hubbard Recommends: - The Economist | https://www.economist.com/ - Think tank research. Two of our favorites at The Politics Guys are the right-of-center American Enterprise Institute (http://www.aei.org) and the left-of-center Brookings Institution (https://www.brookings.edu/) Dr. Hubbard's Website: http://glennhubbard.net/ We hope you’ll consider checking out the sponsor of today’s show: SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to http://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Trey explains how hurricane Irma had him evacuate the state of Florida and offer thanks to all the listeners who inquired about his family and home. Then Trey and Jay turn to politics and the week's biggest story: Trump's United Nations speech. Trey, despite himself, was a bit impressed, but Trey and Jay disagree over the bigger implications of the speech. Most pointedly, they debate whether the Republican Party has given up on classical liberalism as an economic policy. Next they move to the escalating war of words between Trump and Kim Jong-un. Jay argues that we cannot have another cold war future and Trey offers a bit of caution to the rhetoric. After that they tackle the news that Facebook was being used by Russians for advertising purposes during the election and that Matt Drudge consistently linked to Russian propaganda. Finally Trey and Jay turn to the Alabama primary and Trump's unique endorsement before explaining why they didn't talk health care. This week's sponsors: DaVinci: providing access to affordable office locations in every city. Book your space now and get one hour free for listeners at http://www.DaVinciMeeting.com/TPG Zip Recruiter: get quality candidates for your job posting. Listeners can use it for free by visiting http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay talks to Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus. Jay and Rep. Jordan discuss the debt ceiling, tax reform, the Obama administration's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and more. As a lead-in to the interview, Mike and Jay talk about the history of the Freedom Caucus. After the interview they discuss Rep. Jordan's policy positions and recommendations. Rep. Jordan on Twitter | https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan We hope you’ll consider checking out the sponsors of today’s show: Dollar Shave Club. New members get DSC's starter set, featuring their Executive Razor, a full cassette of cartridges, shave butter, body wash, and 'One Wipe Charlies' butt wipes for only $5 by going to http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/tpg SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to http://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the Guys start off by talking about the potential deal President Trump reached with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that involves allowing Dreamers to stay in the country legally in exchange for enhanced border security. Mike is cautiously optimistic about the proposal while Jay believes that Schumer and Pelosi may be far more interested in a 2018 campaign issue than a legislative accomplishment. Next is a look at Senator Bernie Sanders' 'Medicare For All' legislation, which he introduced this week. Neither Mike nor Jay think it has a chance of passing, and while Mike would support a true 'Medicare for All' bill, he argues that what Sanders calls for is far more generous than Medicare and would be a financial disaster. Jay doesn't disagree, though he's definitely not in favor of even a scaled-back 'Medicare For All' type program. Finally, Mike and Jay talk about the political implications of the Equifax security breach. Mike believes it's high time we updated our regulatory framework and impose the sort of oversight on credit rating agencies that we do on other financial institutions. Jay doesn't disagree, exactly, though he's far more skeptical of the value of imposing more regulations on the agencies and favors alternate approaches to incentivizing them to keep our personal data safe. Mike's Recommended Reading: Richard Posner, Leader of a Legal Revolution | https://bloom.bg/2xH97iz Jay's Recommended Reading: In The Garden of Beasts. Erik Larson | http://amzn.to/2xGEp94 We hope you’ll consider checking out the sponsors of today’s show: Blue Bottle Coffee. Sign up for a free trial of fresh, delicious Blue Bottle Coffee right now at http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/TPG SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to http://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY today. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay respond to a listener who feels Mike was being snide and slanderous to Jay in a recent show, and then move on to an in-depth discussion of political correctness and identity politics. For their discussion, they focus on these four articles: A linguist explains how the far-right hijacked political correctness | http://bit.ly/2jfeL58 The Liberal Crackup | http://on.wsj.com/2jcuwtp Identity Politics Are Tearing America Apart | http://on.wsj.com/2jffa7E How Trump Kills the G.O.P | http://nyti.ms/2jdO94r We hope you'll consider checking out the sponsors of today's show: ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to http://www.casper.com/tpg and using promo code tpg. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

his week, Mike and Jay start out by discussing President Trump's decision to discontinue President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. They both agree that it's probably a good policy, but that it's also probably unconstitutional, and as such President Trump did the right thing by discontinuing it and urging Congress to enshrine it into law. Next it's a look at President Trumps deal with his new friends Chuck (Schumer) and Nancy (Pelosi) to continue to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling until mid-December. The move caught Congressional Republicans by surprise and was not appreciated by them, to say the least. Mike optimistically wonders if maybe this is a sign of a more bipartisan Trump, while Jay things that it's another example of Trump forgetting who his friends are - friends he might need in, say, an impeachment trial. After that, the Guys turn to the still worsening situation in North Korea in the wake of the regime's latest and most powerful nuclear weapons test. Jay is convinced that the US won't let North Korea develop the capability to launch a nuclear strike on the mainland US while Mike believes that the costs of preventing it are simply too high to bear and that some day soon, North Korea will have that capability, despite President Trump's promise that it will not be allowed to happen. Finally, it's an update on President Trump's travel ban, which was dealt a setback this week by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Jay feel that the 9th Circuit got it wrong, while Mike argues that the administration's interpretation of an earlier Supreme Court opinion was too narrow. Mike's Recommended Reading: - Grand Hotel Abyss: The Lives of the Frankfurt School. Stuart Jefferies | http://amzn.to/2je3jGM Jay's Recommend Reading: - The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson | http://amzn.to/2jdNcJk We hope you’ll consider checking out the sponsors of today’s show: Davinci. Book your meeting space at http://www.davincimeeting.com/TPG and the first hour is on them. SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to http://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Henry Petroski, a Professor of Civil Engineering and History at Duke University. Dr. Petroski is a prolific scholar and public intellectual - in addition to publishing nineteen books and hundreds of articles in newspapers, magazines, and trade publications, he’s authored over seventy-five academic journal articles. His many books include: The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance, The Evolution of Useful Things, The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors, and The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure. In this episode, Mike and Dr. Petroski discuss learning from failure, how bad US infrastructure really is, why so many big projects seem take longer and cost more than projected, what a good infrastructure bill would look like, and lots more. Dr. Petroski's Recommendations: American Society of Civil Engineers Smart Brief | http://bit.ly/2iRsDSD US Department of Transportation | http://bit.ly/2iRRc1J American Infrastructure Weekly | http://bit.ly/2iRpfHu Trump Administration Infrastructure Initiative | http://bit.ly/2iPSbzA Dr. Petroski's Duke University Page | http://bit.ly/2iQf7i6 We hope you'll consider checking out the sponsors of today's show: Davinci. Book your meeting space at http://www.davincimeeting.com/TPG and the first hour is on them! SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to https://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay start things off by talking about the politics of Hurricane Harvey, including the quality of the government's response, how well President Trump personally responded, and the role federal flood insurance plays in disasters like this. Next, it's an update on President Trump's ban on transgender troops in the military. The Guys begin with a discussion the wisdom of Secretary of Defense Mattis's decision to allow transgender troops to stay in the military until a full review has been completed. After that, they talk about the two lawsuits that have been filed against the ban. Finally, Mike and Jay revisit the issue of sanctuary cities, in light of a federal judge barring the enactment of Texas' sanctuary city prohibitions. Mike's Recommended Listening: Sam Harris' interview with Charles Murray | http://bit.ly/2iQbQ2i Jay's Recommended Reading: The American Spirit is Alive in Texas | http://on.wsj.com/2iRGmJd We hope you'll consider checking out the sponsors of today's show: Dollar Shave Club. new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with free shipping by going to https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/tpg Blue Apron. Check out this week's menu and get your first three meals free, with free shipping, by going to https://www.blueapron.com/tpg Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay weren't able to get to everything they wanted to cover on Saturday's show, so they decided to do this 'Saturday Spillover' show. In it, they talk about President Trump's escalating battle with Senate Republicans, the largest ever NFL football team national anthem protest, whether Donald Trump actually looked at the eclipse without protective glasses and why it matters, as well as answering some listener mail. We hope you'll check out the sponsors of this episode: Seatgeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase by download the SeatGeek app or going to https://www.seatgeek.com and entering promo code POLITICSGUY. ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to https://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show starts with Mike and Jay talking about two late-breaking stories: President Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County AZ sheriff Joe Arpaio and the president's memo formalizing the ban on transgender troops which he previewed in late July on Twitter. Neither Mike nor Jay think that the pardon is a good idea, as it sends a message that law enforcement officials can ignore the rule of law, so long as it's a law President Trump disagrees with. The Guys differ on the transgender ban, but they both agree that President Trump should have allowed Secretary of Defense Mattis' review of the effect of transgender troops on military readiness to conclude before any action was taken. Next is a look at the president's new Afghanistan policy. Mike actually likes a lot of what he heard from the president (as does Jay) though he's skeptical on what he views as President Trump's over-reliance on the military and downplaying of diplomacy and nation-building. Finally, in the wake of another defeat for Texas' voter ID law in the federal courts, Mike and Jay talk about vote fraud, the intent of these state ID laws, and what a truly honest voter ID law might look like (hint: not like what Texas came up with). Mike's Recommended Reading - Don't Look Now, but America's Tax System May Collapse Soon http://bit.ly/2xlUopO Jay's Recommended Reading - American Blackout http://theatln.tc/2xlUw8M We hope you'll check out the sponsors of today's show: SeatGeek.Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeek app or go to https://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to https://www.casper.com/tpg and using promo code tgp Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Saadia Madsbjerg, a Managing Director at the Rockefeller Foundation. Ms. Madsbjerg's work focuses on innovative finance solutions that change the status quo and raise private sector investment capital to further the Foundation’s goals of building greater resilience and promoting inclusive economies. In this episode, Mike and Ms. Madsbjerg discuss what the Rockefeller Foundation does, why government programs alone can't meet the economic needs of communities across the globe, the importance of private sector involvement in helping to build more resilient and inclusive economies, and the challenges of developing partnerships with the private sector. We hope you'll check out the sponsors of today's show: SeatGeek. Politics Guys listeners get $20 dollars off their first SeatGeek purchase. Just download the SeatGeekor go to https://www.seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to https://www.casper.com/tpg and using promo code tpg. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s show starts by examining Trump’s ever changing statement on Charlottesville, VA. Trump would end up setting a more measured tone renouncing Neo-Nazi’s and other hate groups, but then on Tuesday Trump became combative with reporters and argued there are two sides to the story, specifically calling out the “alt-left.” The shift has seemingly shaken the White House as Trump goes off message again. Next, we look specifically at the ever evolving White House. This week it is the exit of Bannon. Early Friday news broke that Bannon had mutually agreed to leave, but that afternoon it became clear that Trump had asked him to step down. By late Friday reports emerged that Bannon would be returning to Breitbart. We talk generally about the White House churn and, specifically, what a “freed” Bannon means both for the news cycle and the White House. After that the Guys discuss Hope Hicks, the 28 year old interim communications director. We also respond to some listener mail. We hope you’ll check out the sponsors of today’s show: ZipRecruiter, where Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to http://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Brooklinen. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off AND free shipping when you use promo code tpg at http://www.brooklinen.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with author, journalist, and environmental activist Mark Lynas. He's a frequent speaker around the world on climate change, biotechnology and nuclear power, and was climate change advisor to the President of the Maldeeves from 2009 - 2011. In 2013 he was appointed a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University’s Office of International Programs, and now works with the Cornell Alliance for Science, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His books include ‘Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet’, winner of the 2008 Royal Society Science books prize, 'The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans’, and, most recently, 'Nuclear 2.0: Why a Green Future Needs Nuclear Power’. Mark's Recommendations - Pandora’s Promise (documentary) http://imdb.to/2wNuVFl - Food Evolution (documentary) http://imdb.to/2wNpHJI Follow Mark on Twitter https://twitter.com/mark_lynas We hope you'll check out the sponsors of today's show: Brooklinen. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off AND free shipping when you use promo code [tpg] at https://www.brooklinen.com Court Appointed, a podcast where co-hosts Mike and Tommy educate and entertain while exploring where laws - and all things legal - have originated and how they currently apply. http://bit.ly/2wNHSii ZipRecruiter, where Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to https://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show starts with the tragic events in Charlottesville, VA where there were multiple clashes between white nationalist protesters and counter-protesters, the most horrific by far being a young white man deliberately ramming his vehicle into the counter-protesters, resulting in one death and 19 injuries. President Trump condemned the violence, but made no specific mention of white nationalists or other hate groups by name, instead pointedly saying that there was violence 'on many sides'. Later on Saturday, the Justice Department announced that it would be starting a civil rights investigation into the the circumstances of the deadly car ramming. Next, it's a look at the situation between the United State and North Korea. As President Trump doubles down on his bellicose rhetoric in response to North Korea's typical semi-lunatic public pronouncements, Mike and Jay consider whether President Trump has a strategy and what options the US has. After that, the Guys discuss the opioid crisis, which President Trump has declared to be a national emergency, as well as a new draft climate report that government officials leaked to the media for fear that the Trump administration might downplay or possibly even bury their findings. We hope you'll check out the sponsors of this episode: Blue Bottle Coffee. Go to https://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/TPG for $10 off your first coffee subscription order. Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to https://www.casper.com/tpg Dollar Shave Club, where new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping by going to https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/TPG Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this listener mail episode, Mike and Jay tackle a bunch of questions including whether we're spending the right amount of money on the right things for national defense, how to deal with a future in which machines are doing so many of the things people currently do, news outlets and columnists we don't agree with but respect and recommend, why Americans pay so much for health care when American healthcare outcomes seem to lag those of other rich countries, and why we're subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. We hope you'll check out the sponsors of this episode: Blue Bottle Coffee. Go to https://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/TPG for $10 off your first coffee subscription order. Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to https://www.casper.com/tpg. Dollar Shave Club, where new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping by going to https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/TPG Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay start this week with an analysis of the shakeup among President Trump's top advisors. First it was Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci being fired 10 days after he was named to the position and before his first official day on the job. The man behind the firing was new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who many conservatives hope will bring some order and discipline to the White House. Mike and Jay wonder if this is possible, given that so much of the chaos seems to come from the president himself. Next it's a look at the major restructuring of immigration policy for which President Trump signaled his approval. Neither Jay nor Mike think the move is advisable, but it's clearly near and dear to the hearts of nationalists like top Trump advisor Steve Bannon. After that the Guys take a look at some good jobs news, which President Trump quickly took full credit for, even though the pace of job creation over his first six months in office is actually slightly behind job creation during President Obama's last six months in office. The larger point though is that presidents tend to get (and take) way too much credit for good economic news, and get way too much blame when the economy isn't performing well. Finally, Jay and Mike consider some actions recently taken by the Senate, particularly a move to shore up Obamacare, and wonder whether the Senate might be moving on from President Trump. This week's show is sponsored by: ZipRecruiter where Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to https://www.ziprecruiter.com/politicsguy Blue Apron. Check out this week's menu and get your first THREE meals free with free shipping by going to http://www.blueapron.com/tpg Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you're interested in supporting the show, go to http://www.politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Bill Ritter Jr., director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. Prior to that he served as Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. During his term, Governor Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in renewable energy by building a New Energy Economy that's creating thousands of new jobs and establishing hundreds of new companies. He also enacted an aggressive business-development and job-creation agenda focused on knowledge-based industries of the future like energy, aerospace, biosciences, and information technology. Governor Ritter is also the author of ‘Powering Forward: What Everyone Should Know About America’s Energy Revolution’ Governor Ritter Recommends - The Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker (http://bit.ly/2w3qTs9) - Spot for Clean Energy (http://bit.ly/2w3js46) - Sue Tierney - The Analysis Group (http://bit.ly/2w3fbhf) - The Atlantic Magazine (http://theatln.tc/2w2Wdr5) This Week's Show is Sponsored By ZipRecruiter, where Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to https://www.ziprecruiter.com/politicsguy Blue Apron. Check out this week's menu and get your first three meals free with free shipping by going to https://blueapron.com/tpg Politics Guys Insiders support the show and get exclusive extras like special updates, more commentary, additional episodes, and lots more. You can check it out and sign up at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys or by clicking on the Patreon link at https://www.politicsguys.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Trey and Jay team up to take on a fast moving week in the world of politics! We start with the McCain and company torpedoing the so-called skinny bill in the Senate. It looks like Republicans are having a tough time passing legislation and both Trey and Jay agree that with any other Republican president the legislation would have passed. Then we turn to the profanity laced Anthony Scaramucci interview and Twitter fallout. It seems like the Twitter stream of consciousness is the new normal in the Trump White House as Matt Drudge put it: “Priebus Out, General In.” Finally we move to talking about how Mitt Romney was right about Russia and the Senate’s sanctions on Russia plus the Russian response. Trey’s Recommendation This Week: – This War of Mine (Video Game) - http://bit.ly/2vVoDTS Interested in supporting the show and getting even more Politics Guys content? Check out our Insiders program at https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys This week’s show is sponsored by: Brooklinen.com, where you can get luxury bedding, underpriced. You have to try these sheets! Politics Guys listeners can get $20 off AND free shipping when you use the the promo code “TPG” at https://www.brooklinen.com Casper, the sleep brand that gives you an obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price. Politics Guys listeners can get $50 toward the purchase of any mattress by visiting https://www.casper.com/tpgSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawrence Lessig on Campaign Finance Reform Mike talks with Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to his time at Harvard, Professor Lessig clerked for not one, but two of Mike's intellectual heroes, Judge Richard Posner and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Professor Lessig is the author of numerous books on law, commerce, culture, and ideas. His latest, Republic, Lost, Version 2.0, is a revised and expanded version of Republic, Lost, which Mike says is the best introduction to, and analysis of, not only campaign finance, but the fundamental incentives that drive public policy in the United States. Professor Lessig followed up on Republic, Lost with a major campaign to enact the reforms he believes to be vital to restoring American democracy, including launching a political action committee, giving a number of TED talks, and most notably, running for the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 2016. Professor Lessig Recommends Fifty Shades of Green: High Finance, Political Money, and the U.S. Congress. Thomas Ferguson, Jie Chen, Paul Jorgensen (http://bit.ly/2vCpW9P) Citizens Divided: Campaign Finance Reform and the Constitution. Robert C. Post (http://amzn.to/2vCShx5) Unlock Congress. Michael Golden (http://amzn.to/2vCMB66) Follow Lawrence Lessig on Twitter (https://twitter.com/lessig) Interested in supporting the show and getting even more Politics Guys content? Check out our Insiders program at https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys This week’s show is sponsored by: Brooklinen, where listeners get $20 dollars off and free shipping by using promo code tpg at https://www.brooklinen.com Casper, where Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by visiting https://www.casper.com/tpgSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay open the show with their thoughts on Senator John McCain, who this week announced that he has a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite their occasional policy differences with Senator McCain, both of the Guys agree that McCain is a genuine American hero and wish him all the best as he fights his cancer. Next, it's a look at the confusing case of the Senate health bill, or bills actually, as there are at least four of them out there. Neither Mike nor Jay think any of them are likely to pass, and Mike questions how much of a legislative mastermind Majority Leader Mitch McConnell really is. They also discuss how President Trump might force the Obamacare exchanges into failure. After that it's a look at the shakeup in the White House communications operation, President Trump's lack of faith in Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whether Sessions talked with the Russians about policy matters during the campaign, and what to make of President Trump's electoral integrity commission, which held its first meeting this week. Mike's Recommendation This Week: My History Can Beat Up Your Politics (Podcast) http://bit.ly/2unfJzN Jay's Recommendation This Week: Charles Dickens Makes Me Want to Throw Up. David Mamet http://on.wsj.com/2undjAX Interested in supporting the show and getting even more Politics Guys content? Check out our Insiders program at https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys This week's show is sponsored by: Dollar Shave Club where new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with free shipping by going to https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/TPG Ziprecruiter, where Politics Guys listeners can post jobs for FREE by going to https://www.ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Dr. Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. From 2001–2003, Dr. Rogoff was Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He's a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Economic Advisory Panel of the New York Federal Reserve, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences as well as the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Rogoff's books include 'Foundations of International Macroeconomics', the standard graduate text in the field, 'This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly', and, most recently, 'The Curse of Cash: How Large-Denomination Bills Aid Crime & Tax Evasion and Constrain Monetary Policy', which just came out in an updated paperback edition. In this interview, Mike and Dr. Rogoff discuss: - commonalities in financial crises - the challenges of analyzing eight centuries of financial data - whether Dodd-Frank was a step in the right direction - why stability is inherently destabilizing - the inevitability of financial crises - why there are so many $100 bills in circulation - who benefits from large denomination bills - recommendations for macroeconomic literacy - and lots more! Dr. Rogoff Recommends - Lords of Finance. Liaquat Ahamed (http://amzn.to/2tn74OE) - Economix. Michael Goodwin (http://amzn.to/2tmD3yN) - The Economist (https://www.economist.com/) Follow Dr. Rogoff on Twitter (https://twitter.com/krogoff) Dr. Rogoff's Website (http://www.kennethrogoff.com/) Interested in supporting the show and getting even more Politics Guys content? Check out our Insiders program at https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys Your support of our sponsors helps keep The Politics Guys going. The sponsors of this show are: Dollar Shave Club, where new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping. To take advantage of this great deal go to https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/TPG ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE by going to https://www.ziprecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show starts off with a look at the latest iteration of the Senate health care bill. While there are some changes from the initial version, Mike is still opposed, Jay is still 'eh' and neither of them think it has the votes to pass - at least not without seriously sweetening the pot for some GOP senators and their states. After that, it's a look at the recent revelations about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian government connected attorney claiming to have damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Both Jay and Mike agree that it was incredibly stupid for Trump Jr. to not only take the meeting, but to indicate his eager interest to take the meeting in email. The best possible light to put this in is that the Trump administration is, at the highest level - composed of rank amateurs. The more ominous interpretation is that top Trump campaign operatives knew what they were doing was wrong, but assumed they wouldn't get caught. After that, it's a look at the confirmation hearing for FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray - both the Guys agree he's a fine choice - and discussion of whether the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Mike's favorite regulatory agency) is doing consumers a favor with a new rule banning mandatory arbitration. Interested in supporting the show and getting even more Politics Guys content? Check out our Insiders program at https://www.patreon.com/politicsguys This episode is sponsored by Brooklinen - Mike's new favorite sheets. For $20 off and free shipping, use promo code tpg at https://www.brooklinen.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Harvard's Gary King, author or co-author of over 150 scholarly journal articles, 20 open-source software packages, eight books, and winner of more prizes, awards, and honors than you can shake a stick at. Dr. King is a fellow in eight honorary societies, including the National Academy of Sciences. He is unquestionably one of the preeminent political scientists of the last half century. His work encompasses a broad range of issues including demographic forecasting, legislative redistricting, Chinese government censorship & social media use, bias in Social Security Administration forecasts, analysis of ‘Big Data’, and numerous publications in the area of what statistics and modeling. Mike and Dr. King discuss gerrymandering, partisan symmetry, bias in Social Security predictions, how the Chinese government uses social media, and lots more. Follow Gary King on Twitter https://twitter.com/kinggary Dr. King's jaw-droppingly impressive page at Harvard https://gking.harvard.edu/ This show is sponsored by Brooklinen.com. Mike is super-picky about bedding, and he thinks Brooklinen's sheets are the best he's ever slept under. Brooklinen is so confident that you’ll love their sheets that they offer a risk-free 60-night satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime warranty on all of their sheets and comforters. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off AND free shipping by using promo code tpg at http://brooklinen.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the show kicks off with Mike and Trey talking about the July 4th North Korean Missile Test. The launch is important because it marks the first intercontinental ballistic missile successfully launched by North Korea and Kim Jung Un. Both Mike and Trey agree there are no great options, but that the options that do exist should rule military intervention off the table. Next Mike and Trey examine the recently concluded G20 summit. The two major points of interest are Trump’s meeting with Putin and the response to the U.S. Exiting the Paris agreement. Mike and Trey also briefly look at Trump’s proposal to create an “impenetrable Cyber Security unit” with Russia. After that, the Guys move on to the CNN / Trump feud. Both Trey and Mike agree that the item is mainly non-news, but that it represents a larger shift in political communication. The real story is the change to the news media and to the way politicians disseminate information. In short, Trump might be right that Tweeting is the “modern day presidential” thing to do, even if the Guys worry about the longer term effects. Finally the Guys examine the Illinois budget. The budget, which just passed after two years, brought a bit of disagreement between Mike and Trey. Mike arguing that states have a moral obligation to the poor and Trey arguing that lower taxes must be coupled with lower spending across the board. Please consider checking out this week’s sponsors: Seat Geek, where you can find the best seats at the best prices – fully guaranteed, and it only takes a few taps on the app or a few clicks if you access it through their website. Use our promo code POLITICSGUY for $20 off your first purchase. Go to https://seatgeek.com/ or download the Seat Geek app to save big on tickets. Blue Apron - where you can get all the ingredients for the best meals delivered straight to your door. Try dinner, the Blue Apron way. Use our link https://www.blueapron.com/TPG/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Brooke Gladstone, co-host and managing editor of WNYC’s On The Media. Ms. Gladstone has won multiple awards for her reporting, including a National Press Club Award and two Peabody Awards. She’s also the author of two books: The Influencing Machine, a media manifesto in graphic form and, most recently, The Trouble With Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time, which came out in May. Brooke Gladstone's Recommended News Sources - Talking Points Memo - Vox - Commentary - The Weekly Standard - National Review - The New York Times - The Washington Post - National Public Radio Follow Brooke Gladstone on Twitter https://twitter.com/OTMBrooke We hope you'll check out this show's sponsors: Blue Apron - a better way to cook. Check out this week's menu and get your first three meals free, with free shipping, by going to https://blueapron.com/tpg SeatGeek - the convenient way to get tickets to live events at a great price. Download the SeatGeek app or go to https://seatgeek.com to see all that SeatGeek has to offer. Politics Guys listeners get $20 off their first purchase by entering code POLITICSGUY at checkout.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show starts off with Mike and Jay taking a look at the currently stalled Senate GOP healthcare bill. Between the bill's broad unpopularity and a devastating Congressional Budget Office score, it looks like it's going to be tough for Mitch McConnell to get this bill through his chamber without some significant changes. While Mike and Jay differ greatly on the merits of Obamacare, they both agree that, to this point, Republicans haven't offered a serious, carefully considered conservative alternative to it. Next it's a look at some big news from the Supreme Court. The Court partially lifted the injunctions imposed by lower federal courts on President Trump's travel ban, and said it would hear the case in October, at the beginning of its next term. Both Jay and Mike feel this is the right call, though Jay feels the injunction should have been completely lifted, which Mike doesn't agree with. After that, they discuss a Supreme Court decision that allows state funding for religious institutions. Jay feels the seven members in the majority got it right, and Mike just barely agrees, though he feels that Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg make some important points in dissent. After that, the Guys talk about a new research study on Seattle's minimum wage experiment. The study, which found that the boost actually cost workers money, was praised by the right, with the left finding plenty of holes in the methodology. Jay feels this vindicates conservative common sense, while Mike argues that it's only one flawed study (as all studies are, to a certain extent) and although it should be taken into consideration, the weight of the evidence still supports the overall benefit of minimum wage hikes. What Jay's Reading: Stop Pretending You're Not Rich. Richard Reeves http://nyti.ms/2tfrINC On Campus, Failure is on the Syllabus. Jessica Bennett http://nyti.ms/2teYApC What Mike's Reading: The Policy Scout Podcast https://www.thepolicyscout.com/ Please consider checking out this week's sponsors: Seat Geek, where you can find the best seats at the best prices – fully guaranteed, and it only takes a few taps on the app or a few clicks if you access it through their website. Use our promo code POLITICSGUY for $20 off your first purchase. https://seatgeek.com Dollar Shave Club, the smarter choice for a great shave at a great price, conveniently delivered right to your door. New members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping by going to https://dollarshaveclub.com/tpgSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was so much intense listener response to Mike's recent interview with Townhall.com columnist Kurt Schlichter, that Mike and Jay decided to devote the first part of this listener mail episode to addressing those responses and explaining why Mr. Schlicter was invited on the show. Mr. Schlichter himself appears in this episode, to explain what he meant when, in the interview, he repeatedly referred to Hillary Clinton as evil. After that, the Guys answer listener mail, including questions about climate change, reasons for opposition to normalizing relations with Cuba, and their thoughts on a Politics Guys 'Cheers' analogy. We hope you'll check out the sponsors of today's show: Dollar Shave Club, where new members get their 1st month of the Executive Razor with a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping. In your first month’s box, you get a weighty handle, a full cassette of four Executive cartridges and a tube of Shave Butter. You can only get this offer now by going to https://dollarshaveclub.com/tpg SeatGeek, where you can find the best seats at the best prices. Politics Guys listeners get $20 of their first purchase. Either download the app or go to https://seatgeek.com and enter promo code POLITICSGUY at checkout.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay start things off by talking about health care bill unveiled by Senate Republicans. Mike sees it as a nearly trillion dollar tax cut financed by draconian cuts to Medicaid, whereas Jay believes it may help by giving states more authority and halting what he sees as unsustainable Medicaid cost growth. Then it's a look at the Georgia special election, where Democrat Jon Ossoff narrowly lost to Republican Karen Handel. Mike says Democrats shouldn't overreact because Democrats have over performed in all four of the special elections held to elect replacements for Trump administration officials formerly serving in the House. Jay points out that a loss is a loss, and Democrats are 0-4. After that, they discuss Russia sanctions, both new sanctions unveiled by the Trump administration and a Senate bill - passed by a vote of 98-2 - calling for tougher sanctions and making it harder for the president to reverse sanctions. What Jay's Reading The Last Battle for Democracy in Venezuela (WSJ - paywall) http://on.wsj.com/2s5kK0g What Mike's Reading The Brookings Cafeteria (podcast) http://brook.gs/2s5XVtl We hope you'll check out this week's sponsors: Seat Geek, where you can find the best seats at the best prices - fully guaranteed, and it only takes a few taps on the app or a few clicks if you access it through their website - https://seatgeek.com/. Use our promo code POLITICSGUY for $20 off your first purchase. ZipRecruiter, which lets you post your job to 100 plus job sites with just one click. Unlike other job sites, ZipRecruiter doesn’t depend on candidates finding you; it finds them. In fact, over 80% of jobs posted on ZipRecruiter get a qualified candidate in just 24 hours! Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to https://www.ziprecruiter.com/politicsguySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Kurt Schlichter, an attorney, retired Army infantry colonel, and Senior Columnist for Townhall.com. His commentary on political, military, and legal issues has been featured in numerous national outlets, such as Fox News, CNN, and the Hugh Hewitt Show. They discuss why Hillary Clinton has less respect for democratic norms than Donald Trump, scuzzy bureaucrats in the intelligence community hoping to destroy the Trump presidency, why he gives Trump a grade of A+ so far, the complete lack of evidence in the Russia probes, and lots more!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Trey start this week with the tragic shooting of Scalise and the unfortunate political communications uproar in it’s aftermath by James Hodgkinson. Both Mike and Trey worry that democracy may be losing a pillar when demonization is the new normal. After that they talk about the rollback of Obama’s Cuba opening. Trump is returning to an older policy of restrictions, although his rhetoric is more drastic than his actually changes. Later Mike and Trey discuss the Sessions testimony and the increase of rate in the Federal Reserve. Finally we end the show with what we are reading now and the unlikely truth that both Trey and Mike love Roberts’ Napoleon biography.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Sasha Issenberg, a political journalist whose work has appeared in Slate, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, and lots of other places. He's a contributor to Bloomberg Politics and the author of multiple books, including the widely praised "The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns" which Politico called 'Moneyball for Politics'.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay received so much listener feedback on our discussion of President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord (in episode 102) that they decided to do this special follow-up. In it, they cover the 'We Are Still In' movement, what states - especially California - are doing, whether or not Jay believes human activity is responsible for climate change, and why Mike wants us to significantly slow emissions today, whereas Jay feels that we're better off growing the economy and waiting for what he believes will be better and cheaper emission control and climate change mitigation technology in the future. They also respond to listener comments.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay start the show talking about the story that dominated the news this week: the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey. Neither of the Guys think that Comey dropped any bombshells, though Mike believes that this is still early days in an investigation that will go on for years and cripple the Trump administration. Jay thinks it might wrap up sooner than that, but that once again, Donald Trump's biggest obstacle seems to be Donald Trump. After that, they talk about Trump's pick for FBI Director. They agree that Christopher Wray is a sane and sensible choice (which is hardly a given in the Trump administration) but that the delay of nearly a month in naming a replacement for Comey is yet another example of how Donald Trump is in over his head. A story that didn't get the coverage it deserved this week was Kansas' experiment with radically lower taxes, and experiment the state legislature forced conservative governor Sam Brownback to abandon this week. Mike and Jay talk about what this might tell us about the effects of deep tax cuts and the impact it might have on similar proposals both in other states and at the national level. What Jay's Reading: Just Mercy, by Brian Stevenson What Mike's Reading: The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth KolbertSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Economist senior editor and columnist Ryan Avent, author of The Gated City and, most recently, The Wealth of Humans: Work and its Absence in the Twenty-First Century. In addition to The Economist, Mr. Avent's work has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Republic, the Atlantic, and the Washington Examiner. Prior to coming to The Economist, he worked as an economic consultant and an industry analyst for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He has an economics degree from North Carolina State University, and an Masters of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics. Mike and Ryan talk about where the jobs are going, who's at risk, the effects on economic inequality, the social and psychological effects of a largely jobless future, and lots more. Ryan Avent Recommends - EconTalk - FT Alpha - The Weeds - Marginal Revolution UniversitySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike and Jay start off by talking about President Trump's announcement that the United States will be leaving the Paris Climate Change Accord, making it one of only three countries in the world to not be participating (the other two are Syria and Nicaragua). Mike, who was hoping against hope that US would stay in, is disappointed, feeling that President Trump is stuck in the past and that his actions may have a negative effect on the environment, future job growth, and US global leadership. Jay, on the other hand, thinks President Trump made the right call. Then it's a look at the US role in Afghanistan in the wake of a major terrorist attack last week that left 90 dead and hundreds wounded. Should the United State up its military commitment to the country and try to turn the tide against the Taliban, or would it be best to cut our losses, given the potentially unwinnable situation? After that, the Guys look at Ohio's recently announced lawsuit against Big Pharma for allegedly misleading doctors and the public about the dangers of prescription opioids. The state's move is part of a growing trend of states and counties taking legal action against pharmaceutical companies. Mike feels this is a step in the right direction but Jay, who agrees that the opioid crisis is extremely serious, says he's not crazy about the approach Ohio is taking.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks to Samuel Sinyangwe, co-founder of OurStates, an initiative that connects communities to actionable information and tools to reject the Trump / GOP agenda in every state and protect communities from harm. Mr. Sinyangwe is a policy analyst and data scientist who also co-founded Mapping Police Violence, which collects and analyzes data on police violence in the United States. He’s been featured on MSNBC, CNN, BBC, LA Times, the Forbes '30 under 30' and The Root 100.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's show opens with Mike and Jay talking about something they *won't* be covering - the continuing drip, drip, drip of Trump scandal leaks. That doesn't mean that they aren't concerned with the serious allegations that have been raised (especially true in Mike's case) but that the leaks don't tell us much of anything. For the most part, they're going to hold off until there's substantive news on the leak investigations, as opposed to juicy tidbits leaked from anonymous sources. After that, Mike and Jay talk about what President Trump accomplished on his first foreign trip, and whether he was right to downplay human rights in Saudi Arabia and push NATO allies to pay up. They also take a look at a recent Supreme Court decision on redistricting, in which the very conservative Justice Thomas sided with the Court's liberals. There's a reason why that happened, and Mike and Jay discuss it, as well as the bigger picture of redistricting challenges over the last few years.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices