The Middle with Anthony Weiner

We are already wearing out the word “chaos” in our weekly wrap up of the news. But let’s just say January was a hell of a year.  The out party never likes when the other team controls the House, Senate, Presidency and the Judiciary, but the biggest losers this week seem to be the whole legislative branch of government – especially the Republicans.  Laws? We don’t need your stinkin’ laws! Trump and Co. seem to be dealing with the carefully constructed checks and balances by just ignoring the will of the legislature. And the Republicans in charge are walking shrug emojis. Some voters wanted Trump to break things. Constitutional balance of powers may not what they meant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is just too much this week. The range is narrow, from hilariously bad to outrageously bad. Given the time restraints, Anthony lets fate decide which things we get worked up about. The wheel spins and the gods of radio decide what we talk about. The callers had their own ideas, but the random number generator is smarter than all of us. Wait, is this AI or are we as dumb as ever? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like pages are turning, pivots are happening and changes are afoot. From the Middle East to the west front of the Capitol, the world is a changing. (Ok, maybe its too cold for the outside inauguration but you get the idea.) Its happening in New York City also. One election ends and another begins. Anthony takes it all in and issues some takes. But he also gives an update on his renewed life on the stump and Billy’s displeasure about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apocalyptic fires in California brought out the Trump in Trump this week. Not much empathy but a lot of name calling. Speaking of name calling, Facebook set its rules and probably its social media platform on fire in a sort of sacrifice to the incoming President. Anthony predicts the changes will cost Mark oodles of Zuckerbucks. And in local news, a felon was sentenced and he didn’t like it one bit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new year got off to a scary and tragic start with two deranged people making news in the early morning of the first day of 2025. It took a few days – as it always does – for the story to be told. But, as is par for the course, the lust for clicks and the desire for a clear narrative that makes sense out of senseless killing, lead Fox News and their most irresponsible Viewer-in-Chief to get stuff wrong/make stuff up. In sort of related news, Trump the felon won’t be Trump the incarcerated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well that didn’t take long. Before anyone is even sworn in, Donald Trump has an insurrection on his hands. Elon Musk plants a flag in favor of allowing more foreign workers into America and the MAGAs most definitely do not salute. In fact they rebel against the foreign born First Buddy. Anthony returns to the fraught issue of immigration and can’t contain he glee when a campaign built on hate of immigrants unravels once they have power.  Ok, maybe its not a full unraveling, but it is at least an ungluing. Get the popcorn for the fight and also for the adult conversation about how immigration reform might actually pass. Also, this week, what chaos awaits Congress on January 3rd? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-in-waiting took an “L” this week when his new best buddy waded into the very messy work of funding the government, paying our debts and getting bills passed. Elon Musk took some swings at his version of government fantasy camp. Anthony gives Musk his due. Perhaps he is good at systems and engineering. The problem with the modern Congress is not the systems though, it is the humans who have to run it. Anthony offers his pal Elon and his listeners a review of how all of this is supposed to work. Also, some more ideas for the city he loves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not to minimize the horror of murdering someone for political reasons, but may we have a word about the slipping standards for what gets deemed a “manifesto”?  Coming in at only 262 words, Luigi Mangione took a shallow run at the chronic American issue of how we pay for and distribute health care.  Anthony and the callers put some meat on the bones of the issue. Also this week, Weiner sparks a media freak out. Ah, just like the old days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Ground Hog Day, Anthony can’t seem to escape the Hunter Biden talk. Maybe the pardon was the best thing to happen so we can now move on to talking about Trump nominees who: have pledged not to drink anymore; promised to close the FBI building down; gets their news from Russian TV; and, doesn’t want our kids vaccinated. Did we miss anyone? Also, New York City crime stories got us arguing this week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone seems to agree there are lessons to be learned from the results of election ’24 but as the dust settles on one of the closest races in American history, there is little consensus on what those lessons are. The first testing ground for the “new and improved” Democratic party will be the campaigns of 2025 in New Jersey, Virginia and…New York City.   Anthony rarely ventures into New Jersey and hasn’t been a resident of Virginia since his days as a Capitol Hill staffer in the 1980’s but he does have a thought or two about The Big Apple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices