News to ME with Ken Altshuler

It's been four weeks since the election and sufficient time for our reflection. Also some turkey talk and Michigan vs. Ohio State (and, yes, I refuse to say THE Ohio State - I am not a supporter of unfounded arrogance). Enjoy and subscribe. It's free!

Election 2024: It is the day after the day after and Mike and I reflect on the aftermath of election 2024. No gloating, no tears. Lots of discussion and debate and morning after quarterbacking.

Seven days before the election. Don't you want to hear our current analysis of the lay of the election land? Of course you do! Enjoy.

The great Veep debate. Who won and does it matter? Other endorsements in the first district and senate race. Is anyone out there really undecided? Why don't we vote today. And Pete Rose is gone. Is he forgotten?

Hard to be a more earth shattering debate than the Biden - Trump debate when Biden was the candidate for president. Who won this round? And does it matter. Also, some discussion about the Patriots, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Michigan's anticipated difficult year.

So now the debate about whether Tim Walz was a good Veep candidate or not. Don't be shocked, but we don't agree! Also a discussion about the olympics and why Steve Kerr seems to hate Jayson Tatum. We even throw a discussion of the Barbie movie into the podcast! 

Once again, a week goes by and nothing happens. NOT! So it is all Biden and Harris on the NewstoMe Podcast: Ken & Mike Redux. Subscribe and enjoy!

Will he or won't he? Will it be Trump vs. Biden? Trump vs. Harris? Or Trump vs. Player to be named later. And has has the assassination attempt changed Trump or the election landscape? Hear our take on the latest developments.

The debate. The press conference. The convention. All Joe Biden (with some Kamala Harris and Donald Trump thrown in for good measure). Will he or won't he. Hear our take on the state of the presidential race.

After an extremely long and inexcusable delay, the latest segment of the Ken & Mike Redux podcast has dropped. Of course, we began discussing the BIG debate tonight between two very old angry white men, and whether or not Angus King should have to debate anyone. We also chatted about the latest Supreme Court decision on social media platforms (Murthy v. Missouri) and the Karen Read trial in MA (alleged death of a boyfriend by Ms. Read hitting him with her car). And where else would you hear a discussion about Judge Judy and the Celtics in the same podcast? Please subscribe and enjoy.

Lock him up? Are we talking about Trump or Biden? Or both? Town in Connecticut declines to fly the Thin Blue Line flag. Right or wrong? Caitlin Clark blindsided. Racial? Sending a message to a rookie? And a wrap with Mr. Sports Guru (that would be Mike) with his fearless prediction of the Celtics - Mavericks match up.

Well we talked a lot about Donald Trump. His trial, Robert DeNiro being a surrogate for Joe Biden, Dennis Quaid saying he supports Donald Trump. Ken still thinks Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the history of the United States. Mike thinks Ken is as crazy as Robert DeNiro. You be the judge. We also talked about the two challengers to Chellie Pingree (insert yawn here), and if the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, very similar to the 1901 Maine flag, would derail efforts to replace the Dirigo flag. Finally, a tribute to Bill Walton and a remembrance of Grayson Murray, recognizing that one never knows what demons haunt the lives of those around us.

More Trump stuff. Accuses Biden of authorizing a hit when searching Mar-a-Lago. Will the jury end up deadlocked? Student loan forgiveness. Mike wants his kids to get their loan payments reimbursed to them. Someone start a Go Fund Me. And Ken does his annual rant about only needing one day for veterans: Choose between Veterans Day and Memorial

Will he or won't he be found guilty? Biden challenges Trump to a duel. A verbal one, at least. Good idea or bad idea? Harrison Butker tells women how much happier they will be barefoot and pregnant. And Caitlin Clark had a bad night. But she will be just fine. Let's not over react (or be happy for a bad night because of race issues).   

We start with campus protests (is it he same as the Vietnam era of protests?), talk a bit about Biden (Mike says he should be more vocal about Israel; Ken says quit picking on Biden), agree that Kristi Noem shot herself in the foot when she reported, with some pride, shooting her fourteen month old dog for being bad. Bad dog. Stupid dog owner. Enjoy!

Israel vs. Palestine protests on college campuses. When did college students get so invested in Palestine? And anti-Israel. Do these protests help either Biden or Trump? Caitlin Clark gets $28 million from Nike. Good for her! And Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cher? Lovely voice. Great entertainer. But what the hell is Rock and Roll? 

We recap stories told to us by F. Lee Bailey, with particular emphasis on his belief that OJ was innocent. We also talk about Dennis Deschaine asking for a new trial in Maine, new Maine legislation as adjournment looms, and losing a great one in Dickey Betts. 

We cover a range of topics including the NAIA banning transgender men to women from women sports, the No Label party no longer having a party, jail time for parents of school shooters, March Madness, Tiger Woods, and, of course, THE Eclipse!

Ken and Mike discuss a wide range of topics, including Susan Collins not supporting Donald Trump, Caitlin Clark precipitating a race debate, RFK, Jr., still crazy, and isn't it about time Maine revitalizes the original state flag?

Okay we went a tad overboard on our Biden / Trump discussion, which caused us to exceed our twenty minute target and go thrity minutes. Sorry! We'll try to be more time conscious next time! But we did get to new NFL rules and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after a "spirited" discussion about Biden and Trump. Enjoy. And please subscribe to this podcast and our companion YouTube channel "NewstoME with Ken and Mike." It's free! And worth every penny!  

Okay we went a tad overboard on our Biden / Trump discussion, which caused us to exceed our twenty minute target and go thrity minutes. Sorry! We'll try to be more time conscious next time! But we did get to new NFL rules and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after a "spirited" discussion about Biden and Trump. Enjoy. And please subscribe to this podcast and our companion YouTube channel "NewstoME with Ken and Mike." It's free! And worth every penny! 

Those of you who yearn for the "old days" will rejoice in the reunion of Ken and Mike from the WGAN Morning News of old. This is just a reminder of our interactions, and next week we will begin anew our partnership in the new News to ME with Ken and Mike. And that's a lot of new! 

Let's catch up on Donald Trump's legal woes, as well as some other current issues. Caitlin Clark became the leading scorer in women's basketball history, soon to surpass Pete Maravich. Also the five best and five worst presidents of all time. Happy President's Day!

It wouldn't have mattered if Nikki Haley had won NH. Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican party. But, hopefully, she can continue to be a thorn in his side (and it is good to know she has abandoned her quest to be the vice presidential nominee). Also, eight African Americans who made life easier with their inventions (in anticipation of Black History month). 

The Iowa caucus is tomorrow. Ho hum. Next up New Hampshire. May be a little closer. But fantasize all you want we are still heading to two old white men having a rematch. And neither of them are the loser. We are. 

Colorado and Maine have attempted to disqualify Donald Trump from the ballot for president. Let's chat about the 14th Amendment: What it says, means, can do, and who can do it. And the six individuals who have been disqualified under the 14th Amendment. 

Where does freedom of speech end? Why are we giving George Santos one penny? Why do we pretend there will be any new restrictive gun laws? And kudos to Time Magazine for selecting Taylor Swift as Person of the Year.

My take on the expulsion of George Santos, the status of the Israeli / Hamas conflict, and where we stand with the republican primary. My Top Five is the other five representatives expelled from the House in the history of the US. 

Eighteen people dead, thirteen wounded, in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, just a few miles from my home. And still people are saying it is not about guns, it is about mental health. Well it is about people with mental illnesses owning guns, but if you can't identify and isolate everyone with a mental illness can we at least make it harder to get a lethal weapon? 

My annual description of our utter destruction of the Native American culture in the US. I do NOT support Hamas, or ISIS, or the Taliban, but we need to understand how others view us as the terrorists. The atrocities we inflicted on Native Americans in the US are IDENTICAL to what we describe as the barbaric practices of Hamas. From massacring women and children to Andrew Jackson taking a Native American child home to his wife to raise, let's be careful to not suggest we are more moral or ethical than those people we call terrorists. 

Kudos to Speaker McCarthy for standing up to the radical right. It is about time we have some adults in the room. Senator Menendez time for you to do the right thing and resign. And, yes, I love Taylor Swift, but enough of Traylor for a while. And the KC Chiefs (misappropriation of the indigenous people whom we decimated). 

So if Joe will not leave the ticket, should we be focusing on Kamala Harris leaving the ticket for "the good of the party." Would Biden enforce that action? Would Harris leave? What if, what if, and more what if. Also, four incidents in our history when a vice president was dumped from the ticket after a previous tenure as vice president. 

I saw it again and I paid better attention and understood it better and have additional comments to make about it. Also the 14th Amendment and what would a podcast be with a mention of Trump and Biden? 

To be fair, Donald Trump is just being Donald Trump. But this one man could have changed the course of history and ended all chances of Donald Trump being elected for a second term. Oh, yeah, there was also a republican debate.

Donald will not show up. Probably. But that won't stop the republican debaters (except for maybe Chris Christie if he signs the pledge to support the republican nominee) from carefully avoiding any criticism of the already crowned party nominee. Is it worth watching? And five historic lines from past presidential (and vice presidential) debates. 

Third series of indictments. Now we're getting serious. 4th on the horizon. What does all of the mean (if anything?). More money for Trump, but, perhaps, less republicans to the polls and fewer independents vote for him? And a repeat of hoodlum (criminal) presidents and presidential candidates. 

My recap (and analysis) of the Barbie movie. Conservatives calm down. Barbie will not make your daughters gay. But make no mistake about it - it IS political. And accurate. 

Forget Supreme Court nominations for a minute. Forget "it's the economy stupid." Think about where we will be in 2024 on the international front if Donald Trump is elected president. What do you do with a base that Donald Trump has convinced to view Putin as a "good guy?" Goodbye NATO. Goodbye international collaboration. Goodbye world economy. Can we convince the public to vote with their heads instead of their fear? 

Last week was a terrible week for Americans who believe in equality and freedom for all. And a reminder that the presidential election is not about who leads America, but who appoints the justices of the Supreme Court. 

Happy Father's Day and Juneteenth. I little discussion about both and about the absurd notion of republican candidates for president pledging to pardon Trump. Also, five great African Americans who contributed to the advancement of their race and human beings everywhere. 

It is a strong case against Donald Trump. It is a federal, versus state, indictment. There is ironclad evidence that Donald Trump broke the law and knew he was breaking the law. But does it matter? For my Top Five I go through the republicans currently vying for the republican nomination. 

So a variety of topics, but I needed to use Gay Pride Month to reiterate my concern about the hate targeting of transgenders by state legislatures. Also, six prominent gay activists who have contributed to the advancement and safety of the LGBTQ community. 

Everyone just relax and enjoy the holiday weekend. The debt ceiling is not going to be an issue. Even the republicans aren't stupid enough to shut down the government and hope the dems are blamed. Also, the fiasco known as the DeSantis presidential campaign rollout, my annual rant about two holidays for veterans, and the lame excuse republicans now use to explain gun violence. 

As Title 42 expires we look to the Cato Institute to summarize an excellent list of reasons why our immigration system is broken. Also a brief summary of how many failures we have had just since 2006 to effectively address the broken immigration system. 

Interesting week. The man who lost the Maine gubernatorial race in 2010 by 10,000 votes was sentenced to nine months for child pornography. I truly thought I was immune to be shocked. Not so. Also Charles III will be allowed to rip off Great Britain by making tons of money and not doing anything worthwhile for the country. And, of course, a weekly tirade about guns. 

Are we really going to have a Biden - Trump rematch in 2024? And why do we let the extremes dictate who our nominee will be? I also regale you on all of the presidential rematches in US history. 

I often argue that both conservatives and liberals are inconsistent when it comes to abortion and the death penalty. But how about mandatory vaccines and gun ownership? Are conservatives consistent? Nay I say, I say nay. And the top five facts you should know about abortion (one hint: outlawing it will not make it go away). 

No I am not thrilled by the charges brought against Donald Trump in NY, but there are other more serious charges on the horizon and, at some point, Mr. Trump will hopefully meet his Waterloo. Also did you know there was one sitting president who actually was arrested? 

Even Maine has now started to catch the fear factor: Make laws against transgenders before they overtake our world. This has been, and is, a solution without a problem. We have to stop the insanity! Also, the Top Five of the week? Yep, you guessed it. Five famous transgenders!

It's been a while since we were riveted to our television sets to see a murder trial (remember OJ?). The Alex Murdough is a case history in old south county control of wealth white families and the bottomless black pit a human being can fall into when nothing matters outside his own survival. Also, Top Five of the week: Five other heinous murders in the history of the US.