The Politics Guys

Mike welcomes a new co-host to the show: political scientist Ryan Teten. (Jay’s not going anywhere – he’s working on a special project for the podcast we hope to unveil sometime this spring.) Mike & Ryan open with a discussion of Donald Trump’s indictment on charges related to hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Neither Mike nor Ryan expect a conviction, and consider the wisdom...

Trey & Ken continue working through the U.S. Constitution working through the entirety of Article I, Section 9. This section of the constitution, coming immediately after the powers of Congress, outlines the limits on Congressional power. The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon...

Trey & Ken open discussing the major investigations into Trump, focusing on NY’s grand jury and recent developments in the crime and fraud exception for Trump lawyer Corcoran. Relatedly they discuss Ron DeSantis’ commentary on Trump. This leads to a discussion of the Republican primary.  Next is a conversation about Xi Jinping and his visit to Russia and Vladimir Putin. Here Trey & Ken dis...

Mike & Jay open this supporters’ midweek episode with a look at the Biden administration’s approval of the Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. Mike isn’t crazy about it due to environmental concerns but feels that the administration probably couldn’t have legally halted the project. Jay agrees, but would like to see even more drilling, as he doesn’t entirely share Mike’s environmental...

Mike & Jay open with an extended discussion of the recent failure of three banks, focusing on the largest of the three, Silicon Valley Bank. They discuss why depositors were made whole, banking regulation, and the importance of risk in capitalism. After that they turn to the growing threat of a US ban of the hugely popular TikTok app due to national security concerns. Jay has his own concerns...

Mike & Jay open this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of Ron DeSantis' continuing battle against "woke" Disney, as well as his efforts to rein in press freedom. They also look at California Governor Gavin Newsom's move to punish Walgreens for its policy on selling abortion drugs in states threatening lawsuits for doing so, what CPAC and recent polls say about the state of the GOP,...

Mike & Jay open with a discussion of the use Fox News personality Tucker Carlson has made of the exclusive January 6th footage given to him by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Carlson did exactly what Mike & Jay predicted he would on the show several weeks back – the guys discuss how much it potentially matters. Next, they move to President Biden’s recently announced budget for FY 2024...

Trey & Ken continue their exploration of the constitution by exploring Article I, Section 8 and Article I, Section 9. What is the extent of Congress' spending power? What are its limits? The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter 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 Ve...

Trey & Ken start the episode discussing student loan forgiveness and the Supreme Court. The pair discuss the major questions doctrine and disagree over the proper ruling. Next, they discuss the recent revelations from the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News. Following that is an extended conversation on Scott Adams’ comments on race. The pair do precisely what he asks: look at his actual claims...

Mike & Jay open this supporters exclusive midweek episode with a discussion of oral arguments in two recent Supreme Court cases in which it’s argued that the companies aided and abetted terrorist acts. The guys discuss whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects the companies from civil liability, and if they’re potentially guilty of violating antiterrorism laws by knowingly...

Mike & Jay open the episode with an update on their segment from last week on candidate cognitive health in the wake of comments from Nikki Haley and Donald Trump this week. Following that is an extended discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine one year in, and then a look at why Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy would give Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to thousands of hour...

Mike & Jay kick off this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of all of the unidentified aerial objects the United States has been shooting down of late. They follow that by considering the state of Medicare & Social Security and what should be done to put them on a sustainable footing, whether the Senate should eliminate the practice of allowing home state senators an effective v...

Mike & Jay open the episode with a discussion of what we know about the conclusions reached by a special grand jury in Fulton County Georgia concerning election interference. It’s yet another win for those who say that the election wasn’t stolen, but it remains to be seen if Donald Trump’s efforts to “find” enough votes to give him Georgia will result in his being indicted. Next, the Guys cons...

Mike talks with Bryan Caplan, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, prolific author, and blogger at Bet on It. He's the author of multiple books and essay collections - five of which we've previously discussed on the show. Today, they talk about Professor Caplan’s latest collection, Don't Be A Feminist: Essays on Genuine Justice. Topics Mike & Bryan cover include: - what it means...

In this midweek show Trey & Ken continue the journey through the U.S. Constitution by examining the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8. Topics include McCulloch v. Maryland Constitutional debates on the necessary and proper clause Modern court cases on the necessary and proper clause The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible...

Trey & Ken open the episode with a discussion of Biden's State of the Union Address. Following that they move to recent federal gun law cases in the wake of the Bruen decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Following that they consider the importance of the recent Pennsylvania special election putting Democrats in control of the House for the first time in 10 years. They conclude the episode wit...

In this supporters’ midweek episode, Mike & Jay discuss whether the party-line vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar was the right thing to do, Nikki Haley’s entry into the 2024 presidential race, if the Biden administration’s waiver allowing solar panels from four Asian countries into the US should be rescinded, and American economic power. The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter Listener support he...

Mike & Jay open the episode with a discussion of the Tyre Nichols killing and what can be done to better hold police accountable and change the culture of policing. Following that they consider whether former Attorney General William Barr acted improperly in the Durham investigation of the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, and US relations with China...

Mike talks with former federal prosecutor and CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig about his just released book, Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It. Topics Mike & Elie Cover Include: - the tactics powerful people use to avoid prosecution - the legal strategies of Donald Trump and The Trump Organization - using cutouts and innuendo to avoid direct responsibility - how fear of repr...

Mike & Jay open this supporters’ exclusive midweek episode with a discussion of the shooting on the Rust set, why Alec Baldwin waived his right to an attorney, and broader 5th amendment issues including false confessions and why police can lie to suspects and how some states are changing that, at least for minors. In the full episode, the move on to their new midweek series on American greatne...

Mike & Jay open the episode with the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Google for allegedly anticompetitive practices. They also discuss the nature of antitrust law, potential changes to search with the emergence of Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, and Paul Pelosi’s interestingly timed sell-off of his Google stock shortly before the DOJ suit was announced and Senator Josh Hawley’s PELOSI Act ba...

In an extended preview of this midweek supporters’ exclusive episode, Mike & Ken continue the series on the United States Constitution with a look at Article I, Sections 7 & 8, focusing on the legislative veto, Congress’ commerce power, and war powers. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy &...

Mike & Ken open with a discussion of the investigation into who leaked the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in the Dobbs case. While no leaker was found, Ken thinks the most likely suspect is Virginia Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas. Next, they turn to the debt ceiling, with Mike arguing that, as always, it will be worked out before the United States defaults on its external debt. Ken doe...

Mike & Jay kick off this supporters’ exclusive episode with a look at the recent FAA NOTAM system outage and what it might say about government technology, using crises to the best possible effect, and conspiracy theories. After that they consider the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompete clauses and the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s call for public comment concerning the health hazards of g...

Mike & Jay open with a discussion of what we know so far about President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and how this case compares to former President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents. After that, they consider Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s pledge to remove three prominent Democrats from House committees, the prospects for the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization o...