The Politics Guys

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This week, Mike and Justin are joined by Joey Ashbrook, a new conservative voice on The Politics Guys. They open with a discussion of the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Justin argues that Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal “set the ball in motion” for today’s crisis. Joey contends that Iran’s uranium enrichment past peaceful-use levels justifies Trump’s hardline stance. Mike suggests Netanyahu may have maneuvered the U.S. into deeper involvement by initiating strikes that only American assets can complete.

The conversation then turns to the politically motivated murders in Minnesota. Justin calls Trump’s refusal to contact Governor Walz “classless” and emblematic of his failure to provide unifying symbolic leadership. Mike warns that rising political violence is fueled by social disconnection and online radicalization. Joey concedes that some GOP reactions were misjudged but argues that rejecting “fake unity” is a core—and clarifying—feature of Trump’s political ethos.

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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 Trey are joined by a new co-host, Tim King, a Professor of Economics at the University of Austin. The guys start off with a discussion of the civil unrest in Los Angeles. Tim argues that Democrats are hurting themselves politically by appearing to side with violent protesters. Trey points out that the administration’s legal justification for deploying troops is on shaky ground. Mike highlights that while the president receives broad deference on these matters, the failure to follow proper legal procedures is a real problem.

From there, they move to the parade in honor of the Army’s 250th birthday and the ‘No Kings’ counterprogramming scheduled for the same day in multiple locations across the country. Tim sees the parade as a positive show of support for the military, but doubts protests will change anything. Trey views these events as more about organizing and building activist networks than immediate impact. Mike warns that counterprotests like these risk alienating voters and undermining the cause they hope to advance.

They close by considering HHS Secretary RFK Jr firing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and quickly naming eight replacements, just weeks before the committee’s next meeting. Tim downplays the impact, suggesting public trust in government health advice was already damaged during COVID. Trey stresses that the advisory board’s decisions have real consequences for vaccine access. Mike finds RFK’s claims of conflicts of interest unconvincing, seeing little justification for such a sweeping shake-up.

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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

Trey and Justin join forces for the first time in this week’s episode! The pair begin with a discussion of Trump’s new travel ban and its relationship to the attack in Boulder. Then they discuss both the social media battle between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump and whether this is the last gasp for economic conservatives in the Republican Party. They close the show discussing the impact of Ukraine’s drone strikes and how it borders, as close as one can, to the workings of a James Bond-like movie.

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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

This week, Mike and Justin welcome conservative attorney Sam Dewey to the podcast. They start with a discussion of the big rulings this week on President Trump’s tariffs. Sam says the real issue is Congress giving too much tariff power to the president. Justin sees a troubling pattern of executive overreach. Mike highlights the irony that conservative legal doctrines may now limit Trump’s power.

Next, they turn to the latest bunch of clemency actions from President Trump. Sam defends the pardons as a response to “weaponized” prosecutions. Justin argues the beneficiaries are mostly Trump’s allies, not everyday people. Mike notes Trump’s deeply personal approach to justice.

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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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Justin and Ken start by digging into the passage of the so-called “big, beautiful budget bill”—a sweeping House measure with far-reaching fiscal and policy implications. Justin highlights the political maneuvering and procedural oddities that defined the bill’s passage, while Ken offers a critical breakdown of its contents, deficit impact, and the dramatic tradeoffs between tax cuts and program cuts. Both note the bill’s likely downstream effects on Medicaid recipients, rural healthcare, SNAP benefits, and America’s clean energy future, with Ken emphasizing the unprecedented deficit expansion and Justin focusing on the political optics and the challenge for Democrats to frame the debate.  

Next, the hosts turn to a landmark—and controversial—Supreme Court shadow docket decision, which summarily overturned decades of precedent on the independence of federal agencies. Ken explains the legal mechanics and historical context behind the decision, warning that the Court’s use of emergency orders for major constitutional shifts undermines process and stability. Justin, meanwhile, explores the practical consequences, especially the tactic of disabling regulatory agencies by denying them a quorum, and what this might signal for the future balance of power in government.

The episode closes with an examination of the highly publicized arrest of Newark mayor Ras Baraka and Congresswoman LaMonica McIver at an ICE protest. Justin and Ken both condemn the actions as heavy-handed and chilling, discussing how federal overreach in this context threatens principles of federalism, separation of powers, and civil dissent. Ken draws a line to broader Department of Justice trends, while Justin stresses the real personal and financial costs inflicted on those targeted by such arrests.

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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 Justin open with a discussion of the 90-day pause in the tariff war between the United States and China. Markets loved the move, and Mike makes the case that this may have been the Trump plan all along, and that at this point, he seems to be getting significant concessions. However, Americans have yet to feel the impact of the tariffs — something that will change before long.

Next, they turn to President Trump’s Middle East trip. Mike thinks he sees a fairly coherent strategy that he sort of likes, with a few (large) caveats. Justin points out the administration’s seeming complete lack of concern with human rights abuses in the Middle East, with Trump putting ‘making deals’ above human rights issues.

They close with a discussion of the jet Qatar has offered as a temporary replacement for Air Force One, as well as President Trump’s crypto business. Both Mike and Justin think there’s massive potential for corruption here, with Mike wondering if we’re at a point where the public (at least a large portion of it) has been almost inured to claims of corruption when they involve Donald Trump..

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Mike’s Substack: What Fresh Hell is This?

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.