The Politics Guys

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Mike and Jay open with a look at the various efforts by the Trump administration to pull back on political prosecutions or political figures, including the very controversial decision to not pursue charges (for now) against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Neither Mike nor Jay agree with the Adams decision, but Jay is more willing to consider a political motive by the Biden DOJ for bringing the charges in the first place. They also discuss the wider implications of Trump’s actions. Mike’s main concern is that it will result in more public corruption, though he agrees with Jay that there’s something to be said for not unduly constraining American businesses in international competition.

Then they turn to the issue of constitutional crises – what the term means, if we’re in (or near) one, and the last time we’ve seen an unquestionable constitutional crisis.

They close with a discussion of the latest Trump cabinet confirmations: Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, and RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Mike’s New (free) Substack: What Fresh Hell is This?

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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.

Trey and Ken begin with a detailed look at DOGE, specifically focusing on what it is and its connection to Treasury Department Data. That leads to an extended debate between the hosts on Presidential power. Trey argues that scholars have long pointed to the danger of each President taking new and unique powers via unprecedented unilateral action. In this view, the long-term health of our Republic is reigned in primarily not by separation of powers, but by norms Presidents are not willing to violate. All it takes is for President Trump to ignore those norms to jeopardize the system. Ken disagrees and argues the American system is fine; the problem is solely a president who takes his orders from Putin (about which Trey also disagrees).

After that, they turned to an extended discussion on tariffs. Trey puts tariffs in historic and political-economic terms. Ken turns to the legality- or illegality- of the proposed tariff scheme. They finish the show with a brief conversation on Trump’s comments, both in person and online, concerning Gaza.

Mike’s New (free) Substack: What Fresh Hell is This?

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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.

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Mike and Justin open with a discussion of the wild pace of events since Donald Trump’s inauguration. They give Trump credit for shaking things up (for better or worse) but think that “move fast and break things” might not get even Trump supporters the results they ultimately want. Justin thinks Trump did a poor job as “national comforter” following the worst US air disaster in over 20 years by choosing to use the moment to make unsubstituted claims about DEI policies and to attack previous administrations.

Following that they turn to the confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., and Kash Patel. Mike is sticking with his prediction that every Trump nominee coming before the Senate will be confirmed, but he’s at least somewhat optimistic that at least four GOP Senators will reject the nominations of Gabbard and RFK Jr. Justin points out that RFK Jr. is a walking red flag, with issues involving his judgment, competence, experience, and personal life.

Next they discuss the short-lived (for now) federal funding freeze, considering its legality as well as whether the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which would seem to disallow the freeze, is itself unconstitutional.

They close with a listener question concerning racism, fascism, and the Republican Party.

Mike’s New (free) Substack: What Fresh Hell is This?

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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.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castbox | PocketCasts | Overcast

Mike and Trey open with their thoughts on Donald Trump’s inauguration and inaugural address. Trey considers Trump’s rhetoric, while Mike points out the typical Trumpian exaggerations and compares the speech to Trump’s 2017 “American Carnage” address.

Then they turn to pardons. Mike is sympathetic to President Biden’s use of preemptive pardons for his family and officials subject to potential political prosecution, but Trey can’t get behind them because of the bad precedent they set. They both agree that President Trump’s pardons of essentially everyone involved in the January 6^th Capitol insurrection are unconscionable and that President Trump should have at least made the effort to sort out those who committed violence from non-violent offenders.

They close with a look at President Trump’s many executive actions on immigration and birthright citizenship, an issue that Mike argues is clearly settled law. Trey disagrees, pointing to a number of legal scholars who argue for a different interpretation of the 14^th Amendment that might potentially convince enough members of the Court to allow his order to stand.

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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.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castbox | PocketCasts | Overcast

Jay and Justin open with a discussion of the political and practical challenges surrounding the LA fires, including the role of climate change, disaster preparedness, environmental regulation, and political blame games.

Then they turn to Trump nominee confirmation hearings, focusing on Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr.

 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.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castbox | PocketCasts | Overcast

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.

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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.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castbox | PocketCasts | Overcast

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.