Grab Them By The Pod: A Trump Podcast

George H.W. Bush passed away last week and we remember his presidency & discuss his legacy. Michael Cohen & Paul Manafort are back in legal trouble and that might be a bad sign for Trump. After some early problems, Nancy Pelosi was nominated by the House Democrats to be Speaker of the House. Finally, Beto O'Rourke & Sherrod Brown are the most recent front runners for the Democratic nomination…but will they stay at the top?

We’re baaaaaaaack! The election is over, but what does it all mean. We get back into the swing of things discussing the election results and what happens next. We also discuss the ouster of Jeff Sessions from the Department of Justice and the White House’s overreaction to Jim Acosta (oh yeah, they lied, too).

After a few weeks off, we’re back! Brett Kavanaugh & Christine Blasey Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week; one seemed in pain and one seemed angry. The Committee’s decision seemed to be a foregone conclusion until Senator Jeff Flake made a stunning demand. As if that wasn’t enough, Trump was literally laughed at by world leaders while speaking at the United Nations. Yup, we’re glad to be back, too!

Our thoughts go out to the McCain family as we remember one the great Senators of our time. Paul Manafort was found guilty and Michael Cohen pleaded guilty. Last week was not good for Trump...and this seems to be just the beginning. Taking the lead from the head of his party, Rep. Duncan Hunter, along with his wife, have been indicted for using campaign funds for personal expenses. Will they ever learn? The Trump administration has revoked former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance and threatening to do it to more. Trump's enemy list is becoming for apparent by the day. Rudy Giuliani says that truth isn't truth...but he's Rudy Giuliani, so take that with a grain of salt. Finally, the Trump Administration is rolling back environmental regulations rather than updated current facilities. Hopefully everyone enjoys more smog.

Surprise! Michael Cohen taped conversations with Donald Trump and now Trump may have to worry about campaign finance violations. Trump also called on Jeff Sessions to stop the Russia hoax witch hunt, though Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it was an opinion, not an order. Rudy Giuliani continues his slow descent into madness with several confusing media appearances. The conspiracy group, QAnon, has started popping up at Trump rallies, which is pretty disturbing. Finally, North Korea continues to build missiles that can reach the U.S., but the administration is too busy praising Kim Jong-un to care.

Last week, Rod Rosenstein announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers. That obviously led to Trump delaying his meeting with Putin, right? Nah! Trump met with Putin, called America foolish & let Putin off the hook for Russia's election meddling. Trump also made a mess in England, where he criticized Theresa May and then claimed it was fake news, despite there being a recording of the interview. Recently, FBI agent Peter Strzok testified before the House Judiciary Committee and it resulted in a chaotic day of partisan bickering. 

Trump has nominated Brett Kavenaugh to the Supreme Court and his feelings on subpoenas and Special Counsels might have a huge impact on the Mueller investigation. Trump flew to Europe for a NATO summit and immediately accused Germany of being captive to Russia - it sounds like he's projecting his feelings a bit. Trump disparaged a Massachusetts senator, a Republican Senator and former Republican President...while at a rally in Montana. Trump also pardoned ranchers who were convicted of setting a series of fires...because why not? Relations with North Korea took a unfortunate turn and Trump's victory speech might have been a little premature. Finally, some good news! Scott Pruitt is no longer the head of the EPA. Unfortunately, his replacement is just as bad.

Huge news today with the announced retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. His replacement could shape the court of years to come. John Bolton met with Putin today and set the stage for an upcoming meeting for Trump. Is that a good look for the White House? Members of the Trump administration have experienced different forms of protest in recent weeks and there doesn't look to be a end in sight. Melania Trump wore a controversial jacket last week - was it sending a message or what it just poor planning? There is a war brewing between Trump & the Freedom Caucus, but will they actually stand up to the president? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated long-time congressman Joe Crowley. What does that mean for the future of the Democratic party?

Families are being separated at the border & Trump blames congressional democrats. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen thinks these separations are because of a law & now a policy. They're wrong. The Inspector General’s report was released & Trump claims that it proves there was no Russian collusion. It doesn't. Trump claimed that parents of Korean War soldiers asked him to bring their children home from North Korea. They probably didn't. Rudy Giuliani thinks that Trump might pardon a lot of people after the Mueller investigation. He probably will.

So much can happen in a week. Prior to the G7 meeting, Trump advocated for bringing Russia back into the meeting (no collusion!), surprising the other world leaders that were attending. After a contentious, but ultimately successful meeting, Trump threw a hissy fit, called Justin Trudeau names & backed out of signing the communique. Later in the week, Trump met with someone more his style - Kim Jong-un. They met, said nice things about each other and accomplished very little. As always, that's a win for the Trump administration. As if that wasn't enough, the Supreme Court ruled that citizens who fail to vote for an extended period of time can be removed from the voter rolls. Democracy at it's finest.

Trump pardoned conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza and stated he could pardon himself as well. Is that legal? That might end up being a decision for the Supreme Court. The New York Times obtained a copy Trump team memo to Robert Mueller. In it, we learn that the Trump administration lied, though Sarah Huckabee Sanders can't talk about it. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort attempted to tamper with potential witnesses and Mueller revoke his release conditions. Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminum - Canada, France and the EU are not happy. Finally, former Speaker of the House John Boehner laments the end of the GOP and the rise of the Trump Party.

Last weekend, we served as delegates at the Connecticut State Democratic Convention. We saw a lot and learned even more! Trump sent out a Memorial Day tweet, but seemed more interested in praising himself than truly celebrating the holiday. Trump has invented a new scandal and named it Spygate. He doesn't care if it's actually real as long as his base thinks it is. Immigration continues to be a problem as the U.S. government takes some children away from their families while losing track of others. Trump & King Jong-un continue their will they/won't they relationship, with Trump claiming verifiable sources don't exist. Finally, the NFL has officially ruled on their national anthem policy and it's rubbing a lot of people the wrong way.

The Senate Intelligence Committee released 2,500 pages of congressional testimony related to the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, and it doesn't make the Trump administration look good. North Korea might be pulling out of talks with the U.S., which teaches us to not count our chickens before they hatch. Rudy Giuliani has been on a media blitz and each interview is more disastrous than the one before. Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the Iranian nuclear deal and the world is less safe because of it. A White House aide said something truly heinous about Senator John McCain, but the Trump administration refuses to apologize. Finally, Gina Haspel is hoping to be confirmed as CIA director, but her past actions might prevent it.

Robert Mueller's questions for Trump have been leaked, but which side leaked it and what does it mean? The White House Correspondents Association invited a comedian to host their dinner and then became upset when she told jokes. Trump seems ready to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and there's nothing Emmanuel Macron or Angela Merkel can do to change his mind. Trump called into Fox & Friends last week and went on a 30 minute rant that puts his tweets to shame. Last but not least, John Kelly thinks Trump in an idiot. Yeah, that's about right.

Today is the special election for AZ-8. Republicans will likely win the district, but still come out as losers. President George H.W. Bush is in the office, just a few days after his wife's funeral and we wish him a speedy recovery. Trump claims that he's never spent a night in Russia, but new information says differently. Michael Cohen hasn't been convicted of anything yet, but the White House might already be planning to pardon him. Trump went on another tweet storm over the weekend and it was as ridiculous as usual. Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson's nomination to run Veterans Affairs might be in trouble & Trump isn't exactly helping him. Finally, Sean Hannity has another shady business deal. The hits just keep on coming.

Our thoughts go out to the Bush family, who lost matriarch Barbara today. McConnell doesn't think there's a need for a bill to protect Mueller, so he's refusing to bring one to the Senate floor. The offices and home of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen were raided last week. Now we wait to see what, if anything, they found. Paul Ryan is getting out while the getting is good and retiring in January. What does that mean for the House Republicans? James Comey's interview with George Stephanopoulos finally aired - do you think it lived up to the hype? Trump ordered missile strikes on Syria, but was it a strategic or political move? Finally, the Department of Homeland Security plans on tracking media professionals and influencers - where do we rank on that list?

Kevin spent a day at the March For Our Lives in Hartford and has a lot to say about it. Trump is taking extreme steps to stop illegal immigration & is sending the military to our southern border. H.R. McMaster & David Shulkin are out. John Bolton & Ronny Jackson are in. Are Scott Pruitt & Jeff Sessions next? Trump has unleashed a torrent of criticism toward Amazon, but he might have been being less than truthful (shocker). Parkland students continue their fight for gun control & man on the right are making this discussion personal. Finally, Trump invited Putin to the White House. That doesn't sound like a good idea.

Last week, Trump fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, just two days before his retirement. But Trump's pettiness could lead to a larger problem. He continued by attacking James Comey, leaving people worried that he might fire Robert Mueller. Mueller's firing would create a constitutional crisis and bring things to a whole other level. Trump's advisors specifically told him not to congratulate Putin an his election win, so of course that's exactly what he did. Finally, the entire is counting down to next Sunday, when Stormy Daniels' 60 Minutes interview finally airs.

Another one bites the dust, as Trump fires Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Trump’s personal assistant, John McEntee, was fired as well, but don't worry, he was quickly hired by the Trump campaign. It looks like democrat Conor Lamb is going to win the PA-18 special election, but what does that mean for November? The Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are ready to end the investigation into Russian interference and the Democrats are not very happy about it. Finally, Hillary is back and people on both side are angry.

Trump is planning to me with Kim Jong-un...what could go wrong? Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg had an interesting week, but was the media irresponsible in how it handled it? Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn announced he is resigning, a sure sign that the White House is not in chaos. Cohn quit due to Trump's policies on steel and aluminum tariffs, which was the straw that broke the camel's back. Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act twice, but the White House is happy to give her a free pass. A few other interesting things happened this week: Trump likes the idea of being president for life, he made bizarre statements regarding gun control, he's being sued by Stormy Daniels & Senator Thad Cochran is retiring.

It's been a rough week for the Trump Administration. Jared Kushner lost his top-secret clearance, Jeff Sessions got yelled at & Hope Hicks resigned. Trump attempted to draw attention away from those events by announcing his plan to run for reelection. Did it work? The Democratic memo was finally released and, surprise, it blows the Nunes memo out of the water. Trump has suggested arming teachers with guns, but he's the only one who thinks that's a good idea. CPAC has come and gone, leaving controversy in it's wake. Finally, Republicans are upset following the PA redistricting and are trying anything to stop it. Want to help the environment while you browse the internet? Check out our sponsor, Ecosia, at http://ecosia.co/pod

We all saw the tragic events that happened last week in Florida. Now a familiar debate returns: guns vs. mental health. The question remains, could this have been avoided? Last week also brought us the first indictments in the Russian election meddling case. But is this just the beginning? The Senate, once again, failed to pass DACA legislation and the DREAMers are left to wonder about their future. Finally, Trump was annoyed with Oprah and H.R. McMaster. The tweets just keep coming.

White House Staff Secretary resigned last week amid allegations of domestic abuse and Donald Trump didn't exactly handle it well. After a brief government shut down, Congress passed another short term spending bill. But what's next for the DREAMers? Trump's budget policy priorities have been released and, once again, he's looking to cut funding to NPR, PBS & Meals on Wheels. Finally, Omarosa traded the White House for the Big Brother House. What has she been saying about her time in the Trump administration. Want to help the environment while you browse the internet? Check out our sponsor, Ecosia, at http://ecosia.co/pod

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has ordered that congressional districts be redistricted & republicans in the state are not happy. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is retiring early & that might be the beginning of a dangerous trend. Trump's State of the Union speech wasn't a train wreck, but it was more of the same. The GOP memo was finally released & it was a major let down. Finally, Trump might not be meeting with Robert Mueller after all.

Reports are out that Trump wanted to fire Robert Mueller last year. How will the affect Mueller's investigation? The government shut down and opened back up, but the problem remains. John Kelly might be following in his predecessor's footsteps and leaving the White House. Finally, what is the GOP memo and how much of it can we believe?

Trump only wants immigrants from countries like Norway and not from "s***hole countries" like Haiti and those in Africa. This, understandably, upset a lot of people and only caused more problems with the DACA debate. Will they be able to agree on an immigration deal? We'll see. Trump's State of the Union address is in two weeks, but many Democrats are vowing to boycott. Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed by Robert Mueller as his bad month continues. Finally, Sara Huckabee Sanders may be in violation of federal regulations, but we doubt the White House cares.

Before you listen to this episode, make sure to check out the recent Politico Magazine article, The Weird World of Trump-Themed Podcasts, which features Grab Them By The Pod! Last week saw the release of Michael Wolff's book, Fire and Fury, as well as the downfall of Steve Bannon. It was ugly. Trump went on a tweeting spree on Saturday morning, where he claimed to be a stable genius and, like really smart. The Golden Globes aired on Sunday night and made Oprah the leading Democratic contender for 2020. How seriously should we take her? Finally, we discuss Mueller vs. Trump, Jake Tapper vs. Stephen Miller & Trump vs. the "Fake News."

Happy 2018! The new year brings us the same old Trump. He's tweeted North Korea, announced the "Most Honest and Corrupt Media Awards" & given an impromptu interview to the New York Times. At least Congress is planning to focus on bipartisanship...let's keep our fingers crossed that it lasts. The DACA fight will take center stage early in the year & hopefully Congress will do the right thing. Orrin Hatch is retiring after serving seven terms. Will Mitt Romney take his place? Finally, Trump is still attacking Hillary & Comey. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

It looks like Trump will finally score the first win of his administration with the passage of his tax bill. Unfortunately is a bad bill that is extremely unpopular. The Right is using dangerous rhetoric and claiming that the Mueller investigation is a coup against the current administration. They don't seem to realize just how dangerous that kind of language is. Reality star & WHite House official, Omarosa, is out of the Trump administration. Did she resign or get fired? We're not really sure. We end with Trump denying he was mad at Neil Gorsuch, the CDC's plan to ban seven words & the failure of several Trump nominees.

Doug Jones won the history Alabama special election last night & is the first Democratic senator to represent the state in 23 years! Unfortunately, Roy Moore isn't ready to go away. Trump's newest political opponent is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, but did he go too far (spoiler alert: he did)? Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused the media of purposely making false reports, but can't offer up any real proof. We've seen some Democratic members of congress resign recently due to reports of inappropriate behavior. Now it's the GOP's turn.

Michael Flynn took a plea deal from Robert Mueller. Is the next domino about to fall? The Senate GOP tax bill was passed in the early hours of Saturday morning. But will it help or hurt the middle class? Congress has until Friday to prevent the government from shutting down. Can both sides find a compromise? Finally, the Trump promoted propaganda, accused a morning show host of murder & called a senator Pocahontas...yeah, it was that kind of week.

Happy Thanksgiving! Trump helped get Americans out of a Chinese jail, but Lavar Ball didn't show enough gratitude & Trump lost his mind. Luckily, that means we get to enjoy another ridiculous twitter feud. House Republicans passed a tax reform bill, but will it benefit the middle class? It doesn't look good. Roy Moore continues to face sexual misconduct allegations and is now joined by Democrats Al Franken & John Conyers. What a mess. 

New allegations are coming out regarding Senate candidate Roy Moore's disturbing attraction to younger woman. Can he still win the Alabama special election or is he toast? Trump has more faith in Putin than in U.S. intelligence agencies. Let that sink in. Trump also decided it would be a good idea to call Kim Jong-un fat and short over twitter. This can't end well. Donald Trump, Jr. might be in bed with Wikileaks. How much fuel with this add to the fire that is the Russia investigation? Finally, Jeff Sessions testified before the House Judiciary Committee, and it was really just more of the same.

Jesse & Kevin are absolutely exhausted following yesterday's election. Since we're still recovering, we bring you a shorter episode of the podcast this week. We discuss the end of our campaigns for Town Council & Board of Education, what yesterday's gubernatorial elections mean for 2018 & how Michael Flynn might be next on Robert Mueller's list.

The Trump White House has gone to war with Rep. Frederica Wilson while a Gold Star widow is stuck in the middle. Bannon has declared war on the GOP establishment, but is it more about his ego than his ideology? Democratic candidates are raking in the money. Does that mean they will win in 2018? The Senate has a bipartisan health care bill with enough support to pass. Will Trump actually sign it? Finally, Bernie Sanders is, and will always be, an independent and not a Democrat. Why are we surprised?

Trump & Mitch McConnell want us to believe that they're best buddies, but we're not buying it. Trump continues to attack all things Obama, this time with an Executive Order focused on the ACA & by pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump hopes to pass tax reform by the end of the year, but is that a realistic time frame? Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has been linked to a Russian oligarch. Is that just another coincidence? Finally, Senator Dianne Feinstein is facing a primary challenge in her bid for reelection. Is that a good thing?

In an act of political theater, Mike Pence attends an NFL game, but leaves before it starts. The EPA is repealing an Obama era climate rule, which will result in more carbon emissions. Rex Tillerson called Trump a moron...or did he (he definitely did)? Trump has started a new Twitter war, this time with GOP Senator Bob Corker. Trump also insinuated that war is on the horizon, though declined to give any specifics. Finally, Trump continues to handle the crisis in Puerto Rico poorly.

Our thoughts & prayers go out to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. We discuss what happened &^ try to understand why. As if that wasn't bad enough, Trump has decided that diplomacy is no longer needed when dealing with North Korea. Trump has picked a fight with the mayor of San Juan for not showing enough gratitude, Tom Price resigned over wasting taxpayer money & the GOP is going to give tax reform a try.

The Senate GOP is trying (again) to repeal & replace the ACA and things aren't going any better for them this time around. Trump threatened to destroy North Korea at the U.N. and, as you can imagine, Kim Jong-un had something to say about it. Sean Spicer appeared at the Emmys & everyone freaked out. NFL players knelt during the national anthem & Trump freaked out. Finally, Jared Kushner might be hearing "lock him up" pretty soon, Anthony Weiner is going to jail & Alabama is holding a special election on Tuesday.

With everything going on in the world, we take a moment to remember 9/11 & discuss Hurricane Irma. Then we get into Trump's official DACA announcement and how he pissed off GOP leadership with the debt ceiling deal. Steve Bannon was interviewed on 60 Minutes last night and it was a doozy! Trump hopes to pass tax reform this year, but is that realistic? We end by discussing how Donald Jr. & Dan Scavino aren't doing the administration any favors.

It's been a week and a half since Hurricane Harvey first hit Houston, but how would you rate the government's response? North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb & continues to test America's patience. Trump plans on ending DACA & people are not happy. Robert Mueller has Trump's original Comey memo & we know know the real seasons he was fired. Finally, we revisit Trump's inflammatory Arizona speech.

Trump had his first prime time address to discuss his new policy on Afghanistan & it was a little short on details for our taste. But at least we had some good news with Steve Bannon's firing! Trump is having a rally in Arizona tonight but not everyone thinks it's timing is appropriate. Finally, Trump is still fighting with Mitch McConnell & named Hope Hicks the new communications director.

This episode we discuss the tragic events that happened in Charlottesville over the weekend & Trump's bizarre response. Since then, he's continued to make a bunch of questionable decisions, including disbanding his advisory panels. We also received a little more information out of the Russia scandal & delayed nuclear war with North Korea. Finally, the president started a fight with his own majority leader & Alabama had Senate primary elections.

Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in DC, which can't be good news for President Trump. Stephen Miller has some weird thoughts about the Statue of Liberty & told CNN's Jim Acosta all about it. The Democratic party is already fighting with itself - is it too late to stop it? Trump started his 17 day "working vacation" but attacking Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. North Korea can now put a nuke of a missile - good thing we have a level head in the oval office. Orrin Hatch discussed his thoughts on shooting wads & it's everything you hoped it would be & more. We finish by discussing Lara Trump's new Real News.

The GOP's Skinny Repeal went down in dramatic fashion, all thanks to three maverick Republican Senators. Since then, there has been a lot of shakeups in the White House. The Mooch? Gone! Reince Priebus? Gone! John Kelly? In! Jeff Sessions? TBD.

What a crazy week in the world of health care. The Senate has failed to pass to versions of the bill. Is third time the charm? Our hearts broke when Sean "Spicy" Spicer resigned & we're not sure we're ready to embrace the craziness of Anthony Scaramucci. Trump has thrown Jeff Sessions under the bus, but is still defending his son-in-law...for now. Trump has also been releasing some crazy tweets & the internet is (rightly) upset. Finally, we close with some exciting news about the political futures of Jesse & Kevin!

The GOP health care plan is dead one arrival...for now. Will that change? Only time will tell. Donald Trump Jr. is sill in hot water over his shady meeting with Russians. Is he in big trouble? Only time will tell. The President's approval rating is currently 36%. Can it fall lower? Only time will tell. Can the president stop eating fast food & get into shape? Only time....ah, who are we kidding? The answer is no.

Happy 4th of July! We can celebrate our nation's birthday, but we can't celebrate the Senate's health care bill, which resulted in another bad CBO score. The Trump administration has requested voter data from the states, but some of them are fighting back. Trump will be meeting with Putin next week. Will he bring up Russia's hacking of our elections? Of course now. The administration also tried to delay the implementation of an EPA pollution rule, but the courts weren't hearing it! Finally, we discuss Trump's many disturbing tweets about the media.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that Trump is under investigation, but his lawyer says it's fake news. Who should we believe? Health care reform is on going, but nobody seems to know what's in the bill. The GOP is considering canceling August recess to help advance their agenda since things have been moving at a snail's pace on Congress. They are also ready to go after Loretta Lynch to take some of the heat of the White House. Finally, Megyn Kelly interviewed Alex Jones & he's as nutty as we thought.

After weeks of craziness, James Comey finally testified before Congress. There wasn't a smoking gun, but it was not a good look for the President. Never one to hold back, Trump spoke about the hearing & seemed to accuse Comey of perjury. As if that wasn't enough, he may actually fire the guy investigating his campaign's ties to Russia! Jeff Sessions also appeared before Congress - that went about as well as expected. Finally, while Trump's travel ban might suffered another loss, that didn't stop his cabinet of sycophants from kissing his butt...must taste like bronzer. 

We're only a few days away from Comey hearing & we can't wait! President Trump, to the surprise of no one, has been on a twitter rampage about London, "fake news" & Qatar. Trump's also given up pretending that the travel ban isn't a travel ban. As we expected, Trump is pulling out of the Paris Agreement, joining Syria & Nicaragua. Trump's top security officials were blindsided at the NATO meeting & aren't happy. Finally, Eric & Don Jr. are sharing business info with the President, but assure us that it's all on the up and up.