Month: November 2025

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Mike, Tim, and Michael open with Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan, built on Russian terms that demand territorial concessions, a NATO ban, limits on Ukraine’s army, and sweeping amnesty. Tim focuses on trading some Ukrainian territory for ironclad security guarantees, including foreign troops on the ground as real deterrence. Mike argues the U.S. should massively ramp up weapons and capabilities for Kyiv, rejecting escalation fears and warning that half-measures only reward aggression and embolden China over Taiwan. Michael sees the plan as politically and militarily a nonstarter, doubts any near-term peace is possible, and warns that Zelensky is trapped between unrealistic war aims and rising domestic disillusionment.

Next, the guys dig into the dismissal of criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James after a judge ruled prosecutor Lindsay Halligan’s appointment violated federal law and the Appointments Clause. Michael says DOJ’s handling looks amateurish, highlights Halligan’s lack of prosecutorial experience, and argues the underlying Comey case is legally flimsy at best. Tim thinks it still helps Trump politically, since it looks like unpopular figures “beat the rap” on a technicality and feeds a narrative of lawfare gone soft on the powerful. Mike frames the prosecutions as part of Trump’s broader strategy to intimidate critics like a political mob boss, stressing the danger of normalizing legally thin cases even against people he personally dislikes.

After that, the guys turn to the Democratic veterans’ video reminding troops to refuse illegal orders and the revelations about “no survivors” strike instructions in the Venezuela boat attacks. Michael sees a collision between basic military law and hyper-polarized politics, worries about pressure to treat oaths as loyalty to Trump rather than the Constitution, and questions labeling Venezuela a full narco-terrorist state as a pretext for undeclared war. Tim dismisses the video as a political stunt, defends aggressive action against Venezuela’s regime as morally justified and broadly popular, and argues U.S. power can legitimately push the constitutional envelope without breaking it. Mike likes the stunt precisely because it exposes Trump’s appetite for a loyal praetorian-style military, opposes any invasion of Venezuela given America’s dismal nation-building record, and rejects the idea that good ends can justify shredding constitutional constraints.

Tim’s dataset on US troop deployments (and Tim’s Substack)

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Mike and Joey open with the blowback to Joey’s claim that “the hubris of the left” is the biggest obstacle to national unity . Mike frames Trump’s behavior as the more obvious example of hubris, while Joey argues that Trump’s personality is massive but incidental and that the real divide is between people focused on ideas and people hung up on identity. Joey sees Trump as a magnanimous, big-ideas president undermined by small-minded opponents, while Mike counters that Trump’s “magnanimity” looks more like dominance dressed up as charm.

Next, they dig into Congress’s overwhelming vote to release the Epstein files and Trump’s reversal from calling it a “Democrat hoax” to signing the legislation. Mike sees the release as driven by conspiratorial right-wing pressure and fundamentally a distraction, while Joey argues the real fallout will be inside the Democratic Party as younger progressives weaponize the material against older establishment figures. Joey claims transparency is good but predicts an unwieldy political circus; Mike frames the whole thing as shallow opposition research dressed up as reform.

After that, they turn to Trump’s meeting with MBS, Saudi investment pledges, and the F-35/tank purchases. Joey casts Trump as structurally reversing American decline through aggressive foreign investment recruitment and realist deal-making. Mike says the strategy makes sense in AI geopolitics — cheap energy, fast authorit­arian permitting — but finds Trump’s moral indifference toward MBS (e.g., Khashoggi) disturbing. Joey describes Trump as historically consequential; Mike worries the price of these “structural wins” is accelerated presidential authoritarianism.

The guys close with California’s new ban on masked law-enforcement officers, particularly ICE, and whether states can dictate federal operational rules . Mike argues the law violates the Supremacy Clause and that mask bans and ID rules materially impede federal safety, while also warning that ICE impersonators and unidentifiable agents are democratic-norm problems. Joey sees the law as unconstitutional commandeering and says masked ICE agents are now necessary because doxxing threats have escalated. Mike pushes for bodycams, higher pay, and stricter standards as a more rational reform path; Joey says data-driven paralysis lets crises fester and that Democrats won’t accept enforcement even when voters do.

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In this episode, Trey and Ken discuss the recent end of the US government shutdown, including the implications for both parties, with a focus on the ACA subsidies. Trey argues that he was ultimately correct, and the shutdown did not benefit Democrats nor lasted into December. While Ken concedes that the shutdown didn’t last as long as he anticipated, it was still the longest in history, and importantly, it taught Democrats how to fight. He sees it as a net positive for Democrats moving into the midterm.

Next, they turn to the political fallout from the release of the Epstein documents from House Democrats and the now-concluded discharge petition. Trey suggests that the full release is important but will do little to settle the question of President Trump’s (or anybody’s) involvement. Ken believes that this is an issue that can break through the MAGA bubble and help people realize the unfit nature of President Trump.

The guys close by examining the controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson’s interview of Nick Fuentes and the backlash to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’s support of Carlson’s weak approach to Fuentes in conservative circles.

Check out Trey’s New Substack

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Trey and Justin open the show by bypassing the shutdown, at least for a moment, and starting with the 2025 elections. Trey argues that the results are a victory for Democrats, but must be contextualized. His key point is that the economy is becoming an issue for Republicans. Both hosts outline what off-year elections such as this can and don’t mean more generally and how the Democratic Party still faces structural issues facing the midterms.

Next, the guys turn to the issue of the government shutdown, which is now the longest in history. Trey asks Justin where he sits on the length and duration of the shutdown. Justin believes Democrats to be in a relatively strong position, but Trey counters that the Democrats lose even if they win. Trey especially argues that the data is not as clear for a Democratic mandate.

The guys close the show by discussing the likelihood of ending the Senate’s filibuster (zero) and the legacy of Nancy Pelosi as she announces she will not run for reelection.

Check out Trey’s New Substack

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Mike, Tim, and Michael open with the fifth week of the government shutdown, now poised to become the longest ever. Tim argues that while the disruption is real, the economic impact will be minor and short-lived, suggesting resolution will come after the elections. Michael delivers a fiery critique, calling the shutdown political theater that hurts ordinary people and decrying Republican fiscal hypocrisy. Mike underscores the tangible harm to citizens, emphasizing that the ACA subsidy fight shows how deeply broken the system is.

Next, the guys turn to President Trump’s Asia tour — a mix of spectacle and deal-making. Michael frames it as an ego-driven “performance arc” aimed at power consolidation rather than strategy. Tim sees the trip as a qualified success, strengthening ties with Japan and South Korea and signaling the need for supply-chain diversification away from China. Mike argues that Trump’s trade policy reflects crony capitalism more than economic strategy, with questionable legality.

After that, they debate Trump’s foreign policy more broadly — from China to the Middle East and North Korea. Tim contends Trump deserves serious credit for hostage negotiations and for pursuing peace on the Korean Peninsula, even suggesting Nobel Peace Prize consideration. Michael and Mike counter that Trump’s erratic style and self-interest undermine any sustainable progress, calling him a great self-promoter but poor negotiator.

The guys close with the administration’s effective shutdown of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mike details how nearly all CFPB functions have been halted despite the agency’s legal mandate, and Michael condemns what he sees as rule-of-law erosion and dismantling of the federal government by decree. Tim responds that the CFPB is redundant and a waste of taxpayer dollars, arguing the country needs spending cuts and less bureaucracy, not more agencies. Mike and Michael push back, stressing that strong consumer protection remains vital in a system tilted toward corporate power.

Check out Tim’s Substack 

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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.

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