Terror Attacks, Jimmy Carter, Healthcare, Working for Trump

Trey and Ken open their first episode of 2025 discussing Trump’s felony conviction. Next, they consider Trump’s comments on international foreign policy, specifically his aggressive stance on Canada, Greenland, and Panama. They finish the show by discussing special council Jack Smith’s report release and its court rulings thus far. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X  Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks about the Zero To Travel Podcast. Whether you are a seasoned traveler or more of the armchair variety, we hope you’ll enjoy checking out this excellent show.

Mike and Jay open this midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of the potential threat posed by Chinese technology to US national security. Between issues with market-leading TP-Link routers and the TikTok ban scheduled to go into effect later this month, how worried should we be about China’s ability to use technology against us? Next, they look at a story that’s been underreported in most of the media but has significant implications for tens of millions of small businesses: the Corporate Transparency Act’s reporting requirements. Both Mike and Jay question the wisdom of the legislation, wondering if it’s overly broad, restricts free association rights, and would do anything significant to minimize money laundering and financing of terrorism. They close by responding to listener questions about Jay taking potshots at left-wing alarmists and their views on populism and a strong two-party system. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay open the first episode of 2025 with a discussion of the recent terror attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, followed by a look at the upcoming vote for Speaker of the House. Next, they consider the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter, looking at the awful situation Carter inherited from Ford, the thumping Carter took in losing to Reagan in 1980, and Carter’s long and impressive post-presidency. After that, it’s a follow-up on their healthcare discussion from late last year. Mike points out that Jay was right (and Mike was wrong) about most Americans liking their health insurance. However, Mike has some issues with the question itself and makes the case that more specific questions about people’s experiences with healthcare, especially costs, paint a far less rosy picture. They close by considering whether working for Donald Trump in his second administration is justifiable and, if so, under what conditions. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike talks with Jeremy Young, PEN America’s Freedom to Learn program director, about the recently released report, America’s Censored Classrooms, 2024. Topics Mike & Jeremy Discuss Include: - how big of a problem educational censorship is - where it’s happening - the deviousness of ‘stealth censorship’ - institutional neutrality and viewpoint diversity - how universities are responding to censorship attempts - what to expect from the incoming Trump administration PEN America on X The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay and Justin discuss the Democratic strategy as an opposition party. Will Democrats do better to oppose everything, or to attempt bipartisanship to blunt the edges of Trump's policy? They wrap up with a discussion of the ethics and optics of Biden's proposed commutation of some (or all) federal death sentences. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X  Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay and Justin cover the freshly minted debt ceiling deal and the implications for the strategies for both parties headed into the new year. They then discuss Trump's lawsuits and threatened lawsuits against ABC, the Des Moines Register, and Lynne Cheney, and whether these are undemocratic chilling of the fourth estate or a means of holding them to some ethical standards. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X  Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay open the preview of this midweek supporters’ episode by considering everything Donald Trump has promised to do on his first day in office. It’s a huge list, and they get into the probable, possible, and unconstitutional. Then they look back at their predictions for 2024 and make new and improved predictions for what they expect in 2025. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Jay open with a discussion of the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. While they agree that Luigi Mangione’s actions were absolutely wrong, Mike makes the case for a more nuanced understanding of both Mangione and the people in charge at health insurance companies like United Healthcare. This leads to a broader discussion of American healthcare. Mike argues that the system is fundamentally flawed, whereas Jay believes that things aren’t nearly as bad as Mike makes them out to be. Then it’s a look at one of Donald Trump’s many Day 1 promises: ending birthright citizenship. While that will be highly unlikely without a constitutional amendment, they consider what the incoming Trump administration could do to disincentivize immigrants from attempting to come to the US to give birth. Mike doesn’t even see this as a problem, but even if it is, he argues that there are far more important immigration issues to tackle. Jay makes the point that Democrats are often too focused on ‘root causes’ and that even minor disincentives to illegal immigration might be worth enacting. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trey and Ken discuss the implications of the 14th Amendment's state action doctrine. The 14th Amendment cannot be enforced against private individuals or relationships. But what happens when state action and private action intermingle? As a special, this normally supporter-exclusive show is available to everyone free of charge! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices