Beerocracy!®

Two months ago, the entire world watched as Alsu Kurmasheva ran down the steps of a plane at Joint Base Andrews, greeted President Biden and VP Harris, and rushed into the arms of her family. It had been 14 months since she had been able to hug them, and 10 months spent in Russian prison. Her crime? Being an American journalist. Alsu is ready to open up about her harrowing experience and no questi...

Venezuela has had a mainstay in the U.S. media cycle, whether it's about the recent presidential election, the exodus of Venezuelan migrants, or most recently, the Tren de Aragua gang. And luckily, I'm joined by Phil Gunson, senior analyst for Venezuela for the International Crisis Group, who has been based in Caracas for the past 20 years. In this episode, we dive into the complex and evo...

Transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison? Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio? Yes, unfortunately, these are REAL statements made by the former President in the presidential debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris. You're not the only one trying to make sense of the nearly 2 hour long circus show that captivated America. Luckily, I'm joined by John Shaw...

We are joined by past guest, Joe Dresen, senior program associate from the Kennan Institute, to discuss and analyze the the most recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. We explore the latest military maneuvers, diplomatic shifts, and the impact on global geopolitics. The war has recently seen a surge of fighting, and this podcast breaks down the latest headlines, and what you need to keep a...

You know the concept of the presidential pardon, but what about the history of this incredibly important power? Kim Wehle, author of the new book Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works - And Why? provides history going all the way back to the biblical times until the present, including the impact of the Supreme Court's landmark presidential immunity ruling. We dive deep into the complex web of...

Wondering what happened with CrowdStrike and how one bad update shut down the world? And what if next time, it's not an innocent mistake, but something more sinister. In a world where our digital lives intertwine with national security, understanding cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. Jeff Lanza, a former FBI special agent and cybersecurity expert, breaks down cyber threats to individuals an...

Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris has taken over the nomination, completely upending any type of political precedent. So now what? Could Biden have done anything to stay in the race? From a political strategist perspective, what might be coming down the pipeline? Luckily, I have Peter Loge with me to discuss these questions and more. Peter has nearly 30 ye...

Welcome back to Beerocracy! This is the 3rd and final episode of the 3 part series exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict. The final episode focuses on hearing the story of Omer Shemtov, a 21 year old Israeli hostage still in captivity. He was taken from the Nova music festival along with his friends Maya and Itay Regev, who were released from captivity during the week-long hostage deal in N...

Welcome back to Beerocracy! This is the 2nd episode of a 3 part series exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mohamed Ziara, a plastic surgery doctor from Gaza who worked at Al-Shifa hospital before being forced to move south for his safety. Dr. Mohamed, who has amassed a following on Instagram showing his life inside a war zone, shared his experience of be...

Beerocracy! is back and better than ever! And we are starting off Season 3 with a very important episode. Listen in, as my guest, Tamir Sorek, a Professor of Modern Middle East History at Penn State University, delves into the profound history of Israel and Palestine. Tamir helps us navigate through the labyrinth of historical events and ideological clashes that have perpetuated the struggle for p...

Well, it happened again, and again, and again. President Biden, President Trump, and now with the latest update of Vice President Mike Pence, have been playing the National Archives' least favorite game of hide-and-seek. Here to discuss everything you need to know about classified documents and the differences between the cases of Biden and Trump is Joseph Moreno. Moreno is a former federal prosec...

In the first Beerocracy! episode of 2023, I am joined by Theresa Cardinal Brown who is the Managing Director of Immigration and Cross-Border Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center to discuss immigration in America. The situation at the Southern border has been occupying the air waves and a primary talking point among politicians, but what's the full story? Luckily, Theresa helps explain...

On September 16th, 2022, a young woman named Mahsa Amini was pronounced dead in a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Her crime? Wearing her hijab incorrectly. She was beaten by the "morality police" and ultimately died from her injuries. Since her death, the Iranian people have been in a fierce battle with the oppressive government that currently runs the country. Luckily, we have Iranian expert, Behnam Be...

We're back with J. Miles Coleman, the Associate Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, to unpack the results of the 2022 Midterms! What had been predicted to be a "red wave" turned out to be more like a small red puddle. The Republicans gained control of the House, but no matter the outcome of the Georgia Special Senate election, the Democrats will be keeping control of the Senate for the next two years...

Grab your beer, the Midterms are here! And luckily, J. Miles Coleman is here to break down what to expect on November 8th. He's Associate Editor at Sabato's Crystal Ball which is a leading polling organization. We go through some of the top Senate, House, and Gubernatorial races. And rumor has it that he'll be back next week to debrief the election results! Incase you don't want to listen to the e...

Beerocracy! is back! After a month of trying to give the issue of gun violence the time it deserves, I'm happy to finally be able to put out this episode with my wonderful guest from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. I'm joined by Tanya Schardt, Senior Counsel and Director of State and Federal Policy at the Brady Center to unpack one of America's worst qualities: gun violence. With over 40...

Well, it happened. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood in a 6-3 opinion stemming from Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The effects have already settled in as millions of women around the nation are not able to access the life saving and necessary health care that is an abortion. I am joined once again by Kimberly Mutcherson, Co-Dean and Profes...

It's the closest America has gotten to its own reality TV show. The January 6th investigation is here, the committee has created a compelling narrative, and the nation is watching closely. The 6 broadcasted hearings are exploring exactly what happened on that fateful Wednesday in 2021 where a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. capital falsely believing that the U.S. 2020 Presidential...

It's been over 3.5 months since Russia invaded Ukraine and the fight is still ongoing. The casualties are bad, crimes against humanity are occurring everyday and the brutality is abhorrent. This is why, Joe Dresen, senior program associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, decided to join me once again to give an update on what's going on and the importance of ensuring we stay up to...

Join me as I chat with Dean Baker, economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, all about what is going on with the economy! He gives us the low-down about what is going on in a way that even I can understand and I still call stocks "stonks" based on the internet meme. We dive into inflation, oil prices, the crypto crash, federal interest rates, and so much more. Are we...

The conversation on abortion has arrived! Recently, a leaked draft from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has made its way through the nation, igniting the conversation around abortion access and its future in America. I had the wonderful Kimberly Mutcherson, a Co-Dean and Professor of Law at Rutgers University, that is an expert in reproductive justice, bioethics, and family and health la...

Happy Belated Earth Day! Join me as I chat with Noah Diffenbaugh, climate scientist extraordinaire from Stanford University. The IPCC released its Sixth Assessment Report about climate change and the news is well....bad. We talk all about global warming, how to help slow its roll, and give a dose of realism to where we are at in meeting our climate crisis goals. And I ask him the most pressing que...

Today we have a very special guest, Jonathan Karmel! He's an experienced labor and employee union lawyer, and also happens to be my mom's fiancé! Pro-labor and pro-marital union in this house! Unions and labor relations have been a hot topic for years now and we chat about the recent historic win for unions that took place at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island. We talk through the issues surroun...

I'm joined by judicial ethics expert extraordinaire Charlie Geyh as we discuss the texts recently discovered between Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, and former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. These texts show the extent of which Ginni Thomas had access to The Trump White House and her unwavering support for the former president. But how do her texts affect her spouse, the SCOTUS Ju...

This is a very special episode as the guest happens to be one of my best friends! My dear friend, Anna Konradi, recently spent a week at a refugee intake center in the tiny Eastern town of Przemyśl, Poland. I chat with her all about her experience and what it was like being in the middle of the refugee crisis caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine. We unpack how to continue to help Ukrainians and th...