The Middle - UNPLUGGED with Anthony Weiner

Wait, you mean banks that cater to tech bros and bitcoin dudes crashed? Who could have seen that coming? Well, no surprise that Anthony didn’t. But what about all those folks who really should have? Regulators and bank CEOs have a lot of explaining to do - literally. How did this happen and why do we seem to forget how much we rely on adult leadership and smart government regulation? Also, in list...

No issue brings out demagoguery more than crime. And crime issues in big cities with many residents of color are particularly intoxicating for the right. So when the City Council of the District of Columbia decided to revise a criminal code that had been written in 1901, there was much grist for the conservative mill. Anthony looks at the truth and context behind headlines about reducing penalties...

Finally, we know the source of Covid 19. What a relief. It came from a lab in China. We think maybe it might have. Either that or from a bat in a market in China. Perhaps. Anthony confronts the one universal truth of our day - the only thing that matters is how to make the headlines work for our team. This was a rough week for anyone that wants actual closure on the origin story of the pandemic bu...

As we enter the second year of the Russian assault on Ukraine, President Biden takes a breathtaking trip to a real war zone and his critics take to the airwaves to try out ways to do what they know how to do - be naysayers. Anthony tries to make sense of the critiques and offer rebuttals where needed. But mostly he finds that they just don’t like Biden and maybe some of them sort of like Putin. Th...

They heckled, they howled, their heads exploded at the State of Union. What set off the already pissed off Republican caucus of the United States Congress? This week Anthony looks at the uneasy peace that the GOP has made with our nation’s biggest entitlement programs. Let’s brush up on our history and see if anything has changed much since 1935. Also, in listener mail, $600,000 missiles shooting...

Still hoping there is some air left in the China spy balloon kerfuffle, Anthony tackles the big questions about what we really don't know about anyone's spying. He looks for lessons in this low stakes big deal. Also, in listener mail, standing up for Newsmax and irony.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House of Representatives created a new panel to investigate the FBI. Democrats all voted "No" but they should have been saying "Hell Yes!" It isn’t really news any more that the FBI in New York was working overtime to hurt Hillary Clinton in 2016. But we may soon learn how and why. Anthony looks at the arrest of a New York FBI agent who is accused of working for the Russians. Maybe all those l...

We are not big fans of golf over here. But suddenly the horrible, not very good, sort of evil Kingdom of Saudi Arabia thinks they can repair their reputation by paying a lot of money to get famous players to join them in a sports league / public relations campaign. Congress seems unimpressed. Anthony looks at how the latest effort at “sportwashing” may spur bipartisan agreement to stand up to the...

#ClassifiedDocumentsNearSportscarsGaziGate is well underway and Anthony has little new to offer about it. But he does wonder if we are asking the wrong questions about our government's penchant to try to keep so many secrets in the first place. Maybe the lust for investigation and the hunger for headlines might lead the new Congress to raise the veil on the secrets about all our secrets.  Learn mo...

So now that we have a Speaker In Name Only, Anthony explains what matters about all these "new" rules of the House and which ones aren't worth the paper they are written on. He has some experience with mischief making in Congress and offers a tutorial for today's class of disruptive reps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just under the wire, the January 6th Committee makes its final report and data dump. Anthony takes a look at the mountain of information and finds some gold in them there hills. It’s a somber subject with some big lessons for our nation, but there is also some humor in how some of the rats jumped off the ship and how some doubled down on there, uh, rattiness. In listener mail, Anthony claps back a...

As we usher out 2022, there is some irony on the holiday menu. Anthony is in the odd situation of interviewing a politician accused of lying. In a special edition of the podcast, we listen in as Anthony uses his prime time fill-in show to try to shed some light and maybe some grace on the Santos case. He speaks from experience, after all. Yes, we live in curious times. Learn more about your ad cho...

As Jordan turns 11, his dad worries about TikTok. It's enormous, addictive and built to echo and amplify the worst of the web. Anthony wonders if all the attention on Twitter has missed the mark. Also, could it be that making a bunch of money doesn't necessarily mean you are smart? This week, Anthony, an admitted “thousandaire” looks at the record of some rich guys when they step out of their lane...

Even good news gets the partisan treatment. The deal to rescue Brittney Griner was met with relief by most Americans, but it was not without its critics who don’t like the mostly grey real estate of prisoner exchanges. Anthony sees more than the usual amount of hypocrisy on this issue. Marjorie Taylor Greene came to New York this week to wave her insurrectionist flag and also to gross us all out. ...

While the former President called to shred the Constitution and then clarified that he meant it, the last days of the current Congress may still have some life left in it. Judges, marijuana and maybe even immigration are on the docket for the final days of the lame duck session. Anthony catches us up and also answers the question, who is the biggest dope in Congress? Nope it won’t be Hershel Walke...

Coming soon to the Supreme Court, arguments over whether other courts can even hear some cases. After blowing up a basic rights of women, this could be even worse. Anthony takes a look at what it may mean and how it may not go the way his conservative friends think. Also, Anthony calls aside his pal Elon for a word. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To begin this week Anthony reminiscences about what made Nancy Pelosi a great leader. What will the new Republican majority be like? We got a clue this week as the GOP announced hearings into the Hunter Biden laptop. Anthony takes the opportunity to review a case he calls his obsession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know what happened, but why? National Republicans think they know, but we have been here before. The House tips ever so slightly to the GOP, but is that good or bad for them? In New York it's the Democrats who are in the circular firing squad with King Zeldin taking credit and maybe getting a nice job out of it. This week Anthony makes sense of it all and tries to build on his very excellent re...

The votes are not fully counted but Anthony sees a lot of good news for the middle of both parties and sees lessons from what he calls the 4D view of the races: Dobbs, Deniers, Donald and Desantis.. He doesn’t brag about his predictions, he will wait for the weekend for that. Episode ideas? Questions? Complaints? Reach us at WeinerWABC@Gmail.com or on Twitter @repweiner. Learn more about your ad c...

This week on TMU (we are trying out the nickname) Anthony wonders about the gaslighting around the Pelosi kidnapping attempt. He agrees there are a lot of people with mental issues who believe conspiracy theories. But the purveyors of lies have to stop. With six days left until the midterms, Anthony speaks for a lot of us in wishing the campaign was over now. Also, how many Halloween costumes does...

From the people that brought you the top rated radio show hosted by former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, it’s a podcast that is sort of like that radio show…but better. This week, Anthony looks at the Republican todo list for then they take over the House of Representatives. He finds a bunch of ideas that are uncontaminated by specifics, clarity or even much thought. Still he finds a couple...