Ready, Fire, Aim 💣 (Guest: Jeff Padden)



Donald Trump’s embarrassing DOGE assault on every corner of government continues to misfire. The strategy: set a target for cuts in each agency, immediately fire workers with no consideration of their contribution to making government work, backtrack when those cuts blow up. In the words of Elon Musk, “we’ll make mistakes will act quick to … Continue reading Ready, Fire, Aim 💣 (Guest: Jeff Padden)


Waste, Fraud and Abuse (Guests: Journalists John Lindstrom, Cindy Kyle)



Waste, Fraud and Abuse: it is either the new right-wing code for trickle-down economics, or another sign of Trump’s dementia. Republicans want us to believe that a $4.5-TRILLION tax cut for rich folks and corporations can be covered without damaging services needed by the rest of us. Their “theory”: we can cover it by having … Continue reading Waste, Fraud and Abuse (Guests: Journalists John Lindstrom, Cindy Kyle)


God Save Us From the King (Guest: Political scientist Matt Grossman)



Trump isn’t even hiding it anymore. He is the self-proclaimed King of the United States and anyone who questions him will be banished to Gitmo. His Majesty and court jester Musk continue the flood of executive orders, most of them blatantly or borderline unconstitutional. We do a deep dive into the invasion of U.S. government … Continue reading God Save Us From the King (Guest: Political scientist Matt Grossman)


Just Who Elected “Big Balls”? (Guests: Pollster Bernie Porn, Law Professor Sam Bagenstos)



“Big Balls” is 19-year-old high school graduate Edward Coristine, who now works as a “senior adviser” in the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. That pretty much sums up President Elon Musk’s reign of terror running through the federal government, even as Trump’s Clown Cabinet gets virtually unanimous support from a spineless U.S. Senate. This … Continue reading Just Who Elected “Big Balls”? (Guests: Pollster Bernie Porn, Law Professor Sam Bagenstos)


Who Needs Congress When You’ve Got Elon? (Guest: Lauren Gibbons/Michigan Bridge)



The Musk coup is moving forward with minimal signs of effective opposition. Congressional Republicans are rolling over complacently while the Musk teenage Ninjas storm federal offices, and Democrats do little other than scream. A lot of federal employees deemed insufficiently loyal to the Mar-a-Lago golf pro are being fired, laid off or encouraged to quit … Continue reading Who Needs Congress When You’ve Got Elon? (Guest: Lauren Gibbons/Michigan Bridge)


Blame It on Biden (Guest: MIRS Politics Guru Kyle Melinn)



Donald Trump made a lot of campaign promises, big and small. Many of them are pure fantasy and destined to fail. Remember Trump’s 2016 promise to replace Obamacare with something “less expensive and better”? Or his regular proclamations of “Infrastructure Week”? He’d learned from earlier failures. With the price of eggs soaring despite his promise … Continue reading Blame It on Biden (Guest: MIRS Politics Guru Kyle Melinn)


Perpetual Festivus (Guest: House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri)



Festivus is the make-believe holiday invented on the Seinfeld show. Festivus “creator” Frank Constanza proclaims that Festivus observances include the “airing of grievances” and “feats of strength.” Donald Trump is doing both every day. Trump is also tens-of-billions of dollars wealthier, on paper at least, than he was a week ago thanks to the latest … Continue reading Perpetual Festivus (Guest: House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri)


A Tale of Two Speeches



This week’s podcast… For Donald Trump, this really is a Dickensian week: these are the best of times and the worst of times. Even as his second-chance administration falls into place, Trump officially became a convicted felon, and the case of his insurrection-related crimes is now a part of the public record (despite the best … Continue reading A Tale of Two Speeches


Saint and Sinner (Guest: Emme Zanotti – Equality Michigan)



This week offers a stunningly sad contrast in America. We recorded on Thursday, just hours after the funeral of a good and humble man, President Jimmy Carter. The humanitarian from Plains was praised by a parade of family and friends, led by President Biden. In contrast (unless he gets a last-second reprieve from his puppets … Continue reading Saint and Sinner (Guest: Emme Zanotti – Equality Michigan)


Return to Chaos



Sequels are all the rage for Hollywood, and the same is true in Washington D.C.  We’re two weeks away from the official launch of the Trump-Musk administration and even before inauguration, chaos and lies return to D.C. The chaos: an intra-MAGA war over immigration, with co-president-elect Musk raging over the possible loss of the right … Continue reading Return to Chaos