The Middle with Anthony Weiner

We are already wearing out the word “chaos” in our weekly wrap up of the news. But let’s just say January was a hell of a year.  The out party never likes when the other team controls the House, Senate, Presidency and the Judiciary, but the biggest losers this week seem to be the whole legislative branch of government – especially the Republicans.  Laws? We don’t need your stinkin’ laws! Trump and...

There is just too much this week. The range is narrow, from hilariously bad to outrageously bad. Given the time restraints, Anthony lets fate decide which things we get worked up about. The wheel spins and the gods of radio decide what we talk about. The callers had their own ideas, but the random number generator is smarter than all of us. Wait, is this AI or are we as dumb as ever? Learn more ab...

It seems like pages are turning, pivots are happening and changes are afoot. From the Middle East to the west front of the Capitol, the world is a changing. (Ok, maybe its too cold for the outside inauguration but you get the idea.) Its happening in New York City also. One election ends and another begins. Anthony takes it all in and issues some takes. But he also gives an update on his renewed li...

Apocalyptic fires in California brought out the Trump in Trump this week. Not much empathy but a lot of name calling. Speaking of name calling, Facebook set its rules and probably its social media platform on fire in a sort of sacrifice to the incoming President. Anthony predicts the changes will cost Mark oodles of Zuckerbucks. And in local news, a felon was sentenced and he didn’t like it one bi...

The new year got off to a scary and tragic start with two deranged people making news in the early morning of the first day of 2025. It took a few days – as it always does – for the story to be told. But, as is par for the course, the lust for clicks and the desire for a clear narrative that makes sense out of senseless killing, lead Fox News and their most irresponsible Viewer-in-Chief to get stu...

Well that didn’t take long. Before anyone is even sworn in, Donald Trump has an insurrection on his hands. Elon Musk plants a flag in favor of allowing more foreign workers into America and the MAGAs most definitely do not salute. In fact they rebel against the foreign born First Buddy. Anthony returns to the fraught issue of immigration and can’t contain he glee when a campaign built on hate of i...

President-in-waiting took an “L” this week when his new best buddy waded into the very messy work of funding the government, paying our debts and getting bills passed. Elon Musk took some swings at his version of government fantasy camp. Anthony gives Musk his due. Perhaps he is good at systems and engineering. The problem with the modern Congress is not the systems though, it is the humans who ha...

Not to minimize the horror of murdering someone for political reasons, but may we have a word about the slipping standards for what gets deemed a “manifesto”?  Coming in at only 262 words, Luigi Mangione took a shallow run at the chronic American issue of how we pay for and distribute health care.  Anthony and the callers put some meat on the bones of the issue. Also this week, Weiner sparks a med...

Like Ground Hog Day, Anthony can’t seem to escape the Hunter Biden talk. Maybe the pardon was the best thing to happen so we can now move on to talking about Trump nominees who: have pledged not to drink anymore; promised to close the FBI building down; gets their news from Russian TV; and, doesn’t want our kids vaccinated. Did we miss anyone? Also, New York City crime stories got us arguing this...

Everyone seems to agree there are lessons to be learned from the results of election ’24 but as the dust settles on one of the closest races in American history, there is little consensus on what those lessons are. The first testing ground for the “new and improved” Democratic party will be the campaigns of 2025 in New Jersey, Virginia and…New York City.   Anthony rarely ventures into New Jersey a...

The best strategy for Democrats nowadays seems to be to simply be quiet and leave it to the Republicans to explain a proposed cabinet full of law breakers, Putin stoolies and science deniers. One of the closest elections in American history is over and now it’s up to the Republicans in Congress govern. History tells us that might not go well. But Anthony is not dismissing the most recent stab at w...

This week brought some really batty nominations from our President-elect.   Many Americans seem to be responding with a combination of surprise and fear. But Anthony posits that these are exactly the kinds of picks that we all should have anticipated. What does this say about his second term? Probably that we should not be shocked to learn there is a bull in the china shop. We just voted that we h...

Ever wake up from a long campaign and just wonder what the hell just happened? Like an unfunny sequel of The Hangover, Anthony sorts it all out for us.   Some of it we saw coming and some of it left us scratching our heads.  At least we can listen to a podcast without any fear of missing out on an insurrection this year. Next up, a whole list of crazy proposals that Trump wont do…or will he? Learn...

Just can’t wait for the actual returns? Funny, neither can Donald Trump. He is already declaring he won. The rest of us join in and get the results early this week as Anthony gives us his predictions. They are pretty much iron clad locks, since we all know his very excellent record in presaging these things. He damn near got every one right in 2022! Also, an update from the Trump rallies in the cl...

Ah, Chefs Kiss. As the election winds down and the polls agree that it will end in a tie, what could be a more perfect story? Anthony looks at the news that Donald Trump’s biggest supporter and promulgator of anti-immigrant lies, is himself an…illegal immigrant. The Washington Post my not be endorsing Kamala Harris this year, but they have given us a runaway winner of the Biggest Hypocrite contest...

Are we there yet? Seventeen days more of this?? Anthony tries to be of service with a issue wrap up for the, uh, 31 remaining undecided voters in his listening audience. But he still found time to acknowledge the end of another significant thing – the life of the head of a middle east terrorist organization. Hamas and Hezbollah have both been beheaded in recent weeks in a vindication of the Israel...

It was a tragic week in our country as two big storms ravaged the south.  While Americans pulled together, our contentious politics hardly missed a beat. Actually it was worse: one candidate actually used the catastrophes to break out his favorite weapon – lies.  Donald Trump cast doubt about storm spending and made things up about the cooperation of the federal government. It was unseemly even to...

The Veep debate was mostly a tie. Anthony called it a good reminder about how politics used to be sort of normal. The stickiest viral moment came when Vance got hung up refusing to acknowledge that his boss lost the last election. Suddenly January 6th was back in the news in more ways than one. Jack Smith began the trial before the trial with this brief about whether the insurrection was by Trump...

Every October, the world visits New York and the United Nations General Assembly brings questions of foreign affairs to the fore. Harris and Trump – barely a month before the election – staked out their positions. Anthony looks at which candidate looked and sounded like an American President and which one seemed to be using Putin’s speechwriters. In other big news from overseas, Israel cuts off th...

Was Trump threatening Jews or blaming them? Either way, it wasn’t a good look from a guy who seems to be worried about losing. When he wasn’t stoking antisemitism, the Republican nominee sounded like he was auditioning for a seat in The Squad. Free IVF? Government controls on car insurance and credit card rates? This guy has a lot of socialist concepts of ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

It was a huge civic and cultural moment – the big debate. What did we learn? Anthony puts a bow on a week of takes. Here is a hint – plenty of mentions of cats and dogs. Also, a serious conversation that we have had many times about the story of Haitians in Springfield Ohio which is the story of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The polls are tight and the anticipation for the big debate is mounting. So naturally Donald Trump is rambling words out loud about his sexual abuse liability, his soft spot for Russia and whatever that was when asked about child care.  Is there a method to the madness or just a lot of old guy saying words?  Insert debate preview show here. Harris has all the risk and the upside says Anthony. The...

Ok, being honest now, does anyone know what the hell Trump really believes on abortion? Instead of just shutting up about the mess he has made, he spent the week flip-flopping around on how he will vote when the issue comes up for vote by the people of his home state. Don’t worry he was no after he was yes but you’ll never believe where he wound up by weeks’ end…free IVF for everyone! Yep, you rea...

Ok, America we have reached exit velocity. Harris reaches crescendo, Trump leaves his mind and RFK, Jr. just leaves. Anthony reaches for metaphors this week as the Democrats dance out of Chicago and soar into the last 73 days of the campaign. Trump seems, uh, displeased with the high ratings, and near universal kudos for his opponent. But he found an momentum jump start this week with an A-list en...

Finally some issues where injected into our vibe campaign! Kamala Harris makes a speech about the economy and Donald Trump gives a (talk/ramble/open mic/press conference) about…windmills killing eagles? Anthony does his best to dive into the ideas and the insults that drove the news this week. Also, Trump takes a run at…Congressional Medal of Honor soldiers? No America, we are not kidding. Learn m...