Climate Change Town Hall, Brexit Gets Messy (Again), Terrorist Watchlists, Republican Primaries

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Trey & Ken start the show by talking about the Democratic Climate Change Town Hall. Ken doesn’t think the differences between the primary candidates matters. He just wants someone who thinks climate change is important, the details will come later. Trey is not convinced that the Democrats have any sound climate change policies. In his view their inability to focus on issues like nuclear power makes their plans impossible. Trey pushes Ken for a favorite, but Ken again just argues for any candidate that has climate change on the agenda.

Next, Trey & Ken detour temporarily from American politics and discuss Brexit. The conversation centers on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s seeming inability to achieve a hard Brexit due to recent pushback. Trey is unsure, regardless of what happens in the United Kingdom, whether the European Union will want to have an indefinite, but never finished, delay of Brexit. Ken sees the likelihood of Brexit as low, although in his recent travels to Germany he recognizes that many Europeans see Brexit as inevitably eventually. Trey then discusses the unusual situation of elections in the United Kingdom since the Brexit process began.

After that they turn to the recent federal court ruling on terrorist watchlists. The pair discuss what the summary judgement means and government’s failure to have the case dismissed. Trey is skeptical that the FBI and Homeland Security will be willing to have the procedural protections in place necessary to satisfy the court. Ken believes the case will eventually end because government will meet the requirements of the court before the case actually proceeds. Both agree it is a win for civil liberties.

The show ends with a conversation on Republican primaries and caucuses. A number of states have, or are in the process of, canceling their primaries. Trey talks about the history of parties canceling primaries / caucuses, but worries that this is part of a larger new American ethos toward efficiency over deliberation. Specifically he points to how many recent primary contests have been canceled. Ken is more sympathetic to parties choosing their own candidates independently.

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