Trey and Ken open the episode covering two recent deaths: Henry Kissinger and Sandra Day O'Connor. Trey outlines the positives and the controversies of Kissinger's international realism, along with both his opening of China and his support for authoritarian regimes. Ken highlights the swing vote legacy of O'Connor, despite her own desire not to be seen in that light during her lifetime.
Next, they turn to the U.S. House's expelling of George Santos. Trey outlines the Constitution's flexibility on the issue, agrees with his ousters, and sees in it the possibility for a move away from Trumpianism in the Republican Party. Ken is less optimistic, but agrees with Santo's ouster.
They close with a look at the Supreme Court oral arguments over SEC v Jarkesy and the 5th Circuit Court's opinion questioning the administrative state. Trey sees potential issues with a consecration of power in a singular agency of powers, and institutions, designed to be divided. Ken believes there is less to fear and no Constitutional problem with vesting an administrative agency with executive, legislative, and judicial power.
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Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O'Connor, Santos, SEC v Jarkesy

Mike talks with Colby College political scientists Nick Jacobs and Dan Shea about their book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America.
Topics Discussed Include:
 - what it means to be a rural voter
 - misconceptions of rural voters
 - if conservatives in rural areas are truly distinct
 - what rural identity is, and why it matters
 - why Democrats have been doing so poorly with rural voters
 - Donald Trump’s appeal in rural areas
 - ruralness and racism
 - if Democrats can ever compete again outside of cities and suburbs
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The Misunderstood Rural Voter

In the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode, Mike, Jay, and May open  by discussing a federal judge ruling that Pennsylvania mail-in ballots that were incorrectly dated but received on time have to be counted. Jay and May have problems with the decision, and Mike agrees that it doesn’t seem to fit the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but that it may be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
From there they turn to an unusually high rate of congressional retirements. Jay thinks it’s mainly due to Congress being an increasingly miserable place to work. Mike and May agree, though Mike also believes that more Democrats are retiring, especially in the Senate, because they see rough electoral waters ahead.
Next is a look at whether Elon Musk’s recent activity on X is antisemitic and whether Musk has a case against Media Matters for alleging that X has put vile antisemitic posts next to ads from major corporations. 
They close with a consideration of what they’re each most thankful for in this holiday season.
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Counting Ballots in PA, Congressional Retirements, Elon Musk – Antisemite?

Mike, Jay, and May open the episode with a discussion of the hostage-for-prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel. They all agree on the importance of Israel getting their hostages back as well as on Hamas’ determination to destroy Israel. But Mike feels that Israel should find a way to give Gazans a positive path forward, something Jay and May are less optimistic about (not that Mike is all that optimistic).
Next, they turn to a Colorado judge’s ruling that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist, but that he can still appear on the ballot because the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment doesn’t apply to him. All of the hosts agree that the clause doesn’t apply to Trump, and that voters should have the opportunity to decide whether to elect an insurrectionist, or if Trump is an insurrectionist in the first place.
They close with a look at the 8th Circuit’s recent ruling that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act doesn’t give private individuals the right to bring suit. Mike sees it as wrongheaded conservative judicial activism, a position Jay and May dispute.
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Israel-Hamas, Insurrectionist Trump, Voting Rights

Mike talks with Adam Kovacevich, founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress and former head of Google’s US policy strategy and external affairs team about the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.
Topics Mike and Adam Discuss Include:
 - FTC Chair Lina Khan’s views on Big Tech and antitrust
 - if Amazon is hurting consumers
 - how dominant Amazon is in retail
 - potential effects of FTC lawsuits against tech firms
 - if antitrust law needs to be updated for the 21st century
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Is Amazon Good for Consumers? The FTC has its doubts.

Trey & Ken continue through the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights by diving into the 1st Amendment and the Free Exercise Clause. Topics include Reynolds, Smith, and the separation between belief and action inherent in the Supreme Court's understanding of the phrase.
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The Constitution: The Free Exercise Clause

Trey and Ken start the episode with a discussion of the escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. Trey argues that Israel's drive south is the result of the asymmetric nature of the conflict. Ken agrees, but believes that Israel must account for the human suffering and collateral damage a push out of Gaza City entails.
Next they turn to the meeting between Xi Jinping and Biden in San Fransisco. Trey lauds the positive rhetorical improvement from a few months ago and attributes this to the need for economic ties, which is the foundation of international liberalism. 
After that is an overview of the newly passed laddered continuing resolution. Ken believes that deficit spending and the recent downgrade in US credit sits at the feet of the Republican Party. Trey argues it is the lack of a majority between Democrats who want to increase spending and Republicans who are deeply divided over what kinds of spending cuts are needed.
Then it is a brief overview of Representative Santos' Ethics Committee Report outlining his fraud. Trey and Ken predict the likelihood of him being removed from the House of Representatives. They close with a brief discussion on the Supreme Court's recently released ethics code. 
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Palestinian Hospital, Xi Jinping and Biden, Laddered Continued Resolution, Santos’ Ethics Report, Supreme Court Ethics

Mike talks with Ganesh Sitaraman, a Professor of Law at Vanderbilt Law School, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a longtime advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren. He's also the author of multiple books, including The Counterinsurgent’s Constitution, The Great Democracy, The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution. His latest book is Why Flying is Miserable and How to Fix It, which they discuss in this episode.
Topics Mike and Ganesh cover include:
 - what makes flying miserable
 - the main eras of air flight regulation
 - cross-subsidies and cream skimming
 - the old, highly regulated system
 - what led to deregulation
 - how the deregulated system has performed
 - how to make flying less miserable
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Why Flying is Miserable – And How to Fix It

Mike and Jay open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with a look at recent polling that shows Donald Trump beating President Biden in five of the six key battleground states. While it’s still a year until the election, Biden’s weakness is worrying a lot of Democrats, including Mike. Jay points out that if Trump is convicted things might change, though Trump being behind bars by election day is improbable, even if he’s convicted (of something or other) and sentenced to prison.
Next, they turn to the House censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her remarks on Israel and Hamas. Mike doesn’t agree with Tlaib’s comments but feels that they’re not so beyond the pale that they merit censure, a position Jay disagrees with.
Following that it’s a look at oral arguments before the Supreme Court in United States v. Rahimi, in which the Court is being asked to determine if prohibiting people with domestic violence restraining orders from owning a firearm is constitutionally permissible. Both Mike and Jay think it is, and it looks like a majority of the Court sees things the same way.
They close with a discussion of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, bipartisan Senate legislation that would allow media companies to collectively bargain with Big Tech platforms for advertising revenue. Neither Mike nor Jay sees this as good legislation because while it would transfer some money from Big Tech to media companies, it doesn’t do much to encourage the sort of journalism that’s important to democracy.
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Is Biden Toast?, Tlaib Censure, Gun Rights, Saving Journalism?

Mike and Jay open the episode with a discussion of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to not run for reelection in 2024. Mike thinks it makes sense given his likely defeat, and Jay makes a case for a Biden-Manchin 2024 ticket. They also consider what Manchin would bring to the No Labels presidential ticket, and how a No Labels candidate might affect the race.
Next they turn to the elections in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Abortion rights were a big winner in Ohio and played a role in all three states’ elections. Mike thinks it’s a great issue for Democrats to run on, and Jay argues that Republicans were stuck by past votes for pre-Roe laws they didn’t expect to go into effect.
They close with a loot at the latest Republican presidential debate. Mike wonders if there’s a point to the debates given Trump’s commanding lead. Jay thinks there is, and explains why.
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Manchin Out, No Labels, OH KY VA Elections, GOP Debate

The preview of this supporters’ midweek episode opens with a discussion of the multiple state lawsuits concerning whether or not Donald Trump can even appear on the ballot. Some are arguing that he’s ineligible because he’s either engaged in or aided insurrectionists, which under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment makes him ineligible. Mike and May are skeptical of this line of reasoning and explain why they expect Trump to be on the ballot in all 50 states.
Next, they look at two Supreme Court cases involving public officials blocking citizens on their private social media accounts. Is this impermissible viewpoint discrimination, or are the officials exercising their 1st Amendment rights as private citizens? Mike and May agree that when it comes to non-governmental social media accounts, officials should be able to block anyone they want, which wouldn’t be permissible on official government social media accounts.
Then they turn to Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions, which has both Democrats and many Senate Republicans increasingly frustrated. May is sympathetic to Tuberville’s policy position but thinks he should consider backing off at this point. Mike agrees, though he’s less in agreement with Tuberville’s methods than May is.
They close the episode with a look at how successful the Affordable Care Act has been now that it’s been in effect for a decade. Mike thinks it’s not perfect but has worked fairly well, while May sees things very differently. One thing they do agree on is that the U.S. healthcare system is a big, expensive mess.
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Disqualifying Trump, Social Media Blocking, Tuberville’s Fight, The ACA at 10

Mike and May open with a discussion of the latest developments concerning Israel and Hamas. They look at the case for and against a temporary pause in Israel’s military response in Gaza, the House of Representatives approving $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, and why the U.S. would consider giving billions in aid to a wealthy country like Israel in the first place.
After that, they turn to President Biden’s Executive Order on artificial intelligence. Mike likes it overall but thinks that the administration doesn’t have the authority to mandate that A.I. developers give the federal government information concerning their models. May agrees with that but thinks it’s a bad idea even if it were to come via legislation.
They close by addressing listener questions concerning May’s comments last week about election integrity. For listeners who want a fuller understanding of Republican concerns, May recommends Mollie Hemingway’s book Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections.
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Israel and Hamas, Biden’s A.I. Order, Election Integrity

Mike and May open the preview of this supporters' midweek episode with a discussion of the tentative labor agreement between the United Auto Workers and Ford. May doesn’t see how the economics work out for Ford and predicts a government bailout at some point. Mike is more optimistic and believes it’s a reasonable deal for both sides.
Following that they consider Donald Trump’s ongoing legal cases – the Georgia election case in the wake of a fourth defendant pleading guilty, gag orders in two of Trump’s other cases, and testimony by his former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows.
Then it’s a discussion of the multi-state, bipartisan lawsuit against Meta. May predicts a settlement at some point, though she isn’t so sure that it will do much to protect children.
They close with their thoughts on gun violence and America’s gun culture in the wake of yet another horrific mass shooting.
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UAW and Ford, Ellis Plea, Trump Gag Orders, States Sue Meta, Lewiston

Mike and May open the episode with a discussion of recently elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. May sees the whole Speaker saga as embarrassing for her party while Mike argues against the portrayal of Johnson as a radical far-right election denier. 
After that they turn to the Middle East, discussing whether or not Mike was right to suggest Israel is a colonialist oppressor, whether that’s inherently antisemitic, UN ceasefire resolutions, and a Senate proposal for standalone Israel aid, as opposed to the Israel/Ukraine/Immigration package proposed by the Biden administration.
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Speaker Mike Johnson, Israel and Hamas

In the preview of this supporters' midweek episode Mike and Jay open by discussing the guilty pleas by Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro in the Georgia racketeering case. Mike thinks it’s a reasonable prosecution and that these pleas may make it easier for prosecutors to get Trump. Jay thinks that “getting Trump” is exactly the problem with this prosecution that he believes shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Then they turn to the revised indictment against New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. Both Jay and Mike think Menendez is almost certainly a corrupt guy who should end up behind bars. Mike comments that both Menendez and Republican Rep. George Santos seem to have learned that in modern American politics, brazening it out no matter how guilty you look (or are) is the go-to strategy.
They close by discussing the near inevitability of a Biden-Trump rematch and consider President Biden’s reluctance to appear before the media.
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Georgia Election Case, Menendez Charges, Presidential Race, Biden and the Media

Mike and Jay open with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Jay gives President Biden credit for his response but argues that Biden’s words of sympathy for Palestinian civilians were ill-timed. They consider the larger issues involved – whether Gazans are rightfully angry with Israel, what Hamas wants and whether Israel is giving it to them, and if we’ll ever see a two-state solution – as well as responses by pro-Palestinian groups in the US and their doxing by conservative groups.
Then they turn to the Republicans' inability to elect a Speaker of the House. Mike makes the case that candidate Jim Jordan represents much of what’s wrong with American politics. Jay doesn’t make a case for Jordan as Speaker, but he argues at this point anyone is better than no one. Mike agrees but wonders why the far more numerous House Republican moderates should have to give in to the smaller Freedom Caucus Republicans. They both predict there will be a Republican Speaker within the next few weeks and that the whole fracas won’t matter much to voters in November.
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Israel and Hamas, House Speaker Fight

In the fall of 2017, only a few years after Jim Jordan co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, he had this conversation with Jay, who knew Jordan from their days in the Ohio House of Representatives (Jordan was a freshman legislator, Jay was a staffer). 
Jordan talks about why he helped create the Freedom Caucus, what it stands for, his views on government spending and debt, as well as some ideas that Mike thinks end up in “tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theory” territory.
Given Jordan’s rise to power and his current bid to be the next Speaker of the House, we thought listeners might appreciate hearing this interview from our Politics Guys archive.
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Jay Talks with Rep. Jim Jordan (2017)

Trey & Ken continue their dive into the U.S. Constitution by overviewing the origins, history, and importance of the Bill of Rights. This episode sets up the next arch of the Constitution episodes as Trey & Ken go through each portion of the first 10 Amendments.
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The Constitution: The Bill of Rights

In this deep dive episode Trey & Ken take a longview look at the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This includes a history into the formation of both Israel and the Gaza Strip, along with the key moments that led to the terrorist activity on Saturday. The pair discuss the current crisis, the likely next steps, and the response internationally and in the United States to the crisis.
As a second story the guys look at the collapse of Scalise as the next U.S. House Speaker, likely next steps, and the possibility of a coalition Speaker with votes from House Democrats.
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The Gaza Strip, House Speaker

Mike talks with Steve Inskeep, cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition and their Up First podcast. He’s the author of multiple books, including Instant City, Jacksonland, Imperfect Union, and his latest book, Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America, which they discuss in this episode.
Topics Mike and Steve Discuss Include:
 - the myth vs the reality of Lincoln
 - how growing up poor influenced Lincoln
 - Lincoln’s impressive understanding of human psychology
 - the benefits of engaging with critics
 - comparisons to Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama
 - the legacy of Lincoln’s use of executive power
 - division, reconciliation, and what we can learn from Lincoln today
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