Episodes

  • The Unitary Executive
    Jun 30 2026

    June 29, 2026

    In the case of Slaughter v Trump, Trump claimed he has the right to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission even though the Court has long said the president does not have the power to fire members of independent agencies except in extreme cases, The argument is an attempt to establish the idea of the unitary executive which asserts the power of the president and diminishes the power of Congress, The theory proposes that the president cannot be reined in by the other two branches of government, In a 6-3 vote the Supreme court decided in Trump’s favor, Dissenting justices wrote that the Court is undoing centuries of practice, elevating the president above his once coequal branches, The decision gives Trump power he clearly has no inclination to give up.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    11 mins
  • A New Political Language
    Jun 29 2026

    June 28, 2026

    A wide range of Democratic voices are shaping a new political language, One is James Talarico who delivered his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for US Senator from Texas on June 26, Talarico invoked Barbara Jordan, Talarico’s vision resonates beyond Texas, He celebrated the accomplishments of the state of Texaas, He expressed concern about the takeover of the state by billionaires, He said that there is a chance to take the state back, and not in a partisan sense, He called for a new economy, new schools, and stronger and healthier families.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    11 mins
  • Lies, Threats, and Looting
    Jun 29 2026

    June 27, 2026

    The reflecting pool fiasco represents the Trump administration perfectly, The remodeling of the West Colonnade, which Trump said he had paid for, was in fact paid for by the taxpayers, Trump is redirecting taxpayer money from the National Park Service, The looting of our tax dollars is turning the resources of the country to the administration’s own ends, People are paying with their lives, as research funds are being allocated for political reasons, and faith in science and experts is being destroyed, Hegseth is decimating the US Military, firing more than two dozen military leaders, The US and Iran are trading strikes again and Trump is making apocalyptic threats against the country, Mike Johnson promised “to take care of” a group of Trump supporters against a possible Republican loss in the midterms.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    16 mins
  • A Party of Radical Extremists
    Jun 27 2026

    June 26, 2026

    On Wednesday, Trump refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill, Republican senators apologized for supporting a war powers resolution that had been passed, After Trump said he would not sign any measures into law until the Senate passed the SAVE Act, Speaker Johnson sent the House members home, This turmoil reflects the changing world of American politics, The Supreme Court allowed the administration to end the legal status of more people in the US on temporary protected status, After voters in New York rejected two established Democrats in favor of newcomers, Trump’s rhetoric branded Democrats as communists, Those opposed to the Trump administration are starting to demand a different kind of government in response to today's extremes of wealth, 92% of Americans worry about corruption in government, The 1956 Republican Party platform called for unimpeachable ethical standards and advances in matters of basic human needs.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    14 mins
  • Battle of the Little Big Horn
    Jun 27 2026

    June 25, 2026

    Today is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong lost his entire command to Lakota warriors, The road to the Little Bighorn started during the Civil War, The US government, strapped by the cost of war, stopped providing food, forcing the Santees to flee to join the Teton Lakotas in what is now Montana, The massacre at Sand Creek convinced the Tetons that they must resist, After Robert E Lee’s surrender, General Sherman was transferred to the Plains, The government abandoned the Bozeman Trail in favor of protecting the railroad, giving the Lakotas control of the Great Sioux Reservation, Miners wanted access to gold and business interests wanted land, and set out to build a fort in the Black Hills to intimidate the warriors who were skirmishing with the intruders, The Lakotas refused to sell land in the Black Hills, The War Department commanded the army to subdue the Lakotas, General George Crook planned an attack on Sitting Bull’s camp, The Lakotas and their allies who had settled on the Greasy Grass, or Little Bighorn, were unaware of Custer’s troops approaching, They recovered quickly and chased some of the men across the river, and stampeded the others, All the soldiers were killed, the Lakotas lost about 40 men.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    10 mins
  • Clearly Panicked
    Jun 25 2026

    June 24, 2026

    A comprehensive review of the war on Iran suggests the US has little, if any, leverage, The botched renovagtion of the Reflecting Pool has come to represent the botched war on Iran, Trump appears to be panicked, posting about gas prices, and suddenly announcing that he would not sign the bipartisan housing bill passed by both the Senate and the House, Trump is holding the bill hostage to the signing of the SAVE Act that would stop many legal voters from casting ballots, Trump continues to claim emergency powers under which he can ignore laws, The administration has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia to get their voter roles, but the courts have struck down these attempts, There is concern that Acting DNI William Pulte would claim threats against the country and place troops at the polls, Postmaster General Steiner told senators about a new rule under which the Postal Service will not deliver election mail to states that haven’t turned over their voting lists, Trump is thoroughly panicked about losing in November.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    14 mins
  • Continuing to Fall Apart
    Jun 24 2026

    June 23, 2026

    Trump continues to blame the Reflecting Pool’s problems on vandals without evidence, Trump announces that Iran has agreed to nuclear inspections, but Iran disagrees, Only 23% of Americans think the Iran war was a good idea, Trump may be flailing but a “lean and hungry” group of men in positions of power and authority who are committed to making his dreams of unlimited power a reality, Trump continues to go after “antifa” calling them domestic terrorists, but he doesn’t have authority to designate domestic terror organizations, After a protest against ICE in Texas, protesters were arrested and a US District Judge sentenced eight of them to decades in prison, In contrast Trump pardoned Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders for their roles in the atack on the US Capitol.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    10 mins
  • Mired in Its Own Mistakes
    Jun 23 2026

    June 22, 2026

    The Trump administration cannot spin the MOU that Trump signed as a win, A range of commentators are calling the MOU a disaster, J.D. Vance’s trip to Switzerland produced little in spite of his claims of a win, Trump is doubling down on blaming problems with the Reflecting Pool on vandals, and blames the cost overruns on Obama, Trump is raging at the media for stories that expose his failures, Trump has put William Pulte, nicknamed “Little Trump” in place as acting director of National Intelligence, Pulte has started firing people from the National Counterterrorism Center, Tulsi Gabbard appears to be tied to a religious leader who gave orders to her regarding her official acts, The administration is interfering with voting rights groups, and is pushing the myth of voter fraud, A network of super PACs that claim to be progressive are actually funded by a Republican dark money group, Outrage over the Iran deal has risen to a fever pitch, People are making algae jokes about the Reflecting Pool at Trump's expense.

    Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-

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    15 mins