Podcast appearances and mentions of Karoun Demirjian

Nicolle Wallace discusses the barrage of headlines from the third week in the Trump administration, starting with the continued attacks on FBI agents who investigated January 6th, signs of light within our institutions prepared to pump the brakes, the dismantling of USAID, the confirmation of Project 2025 architect to the OMB, and the human toll of the administration's cruel immigration policies in action.Joined by: Glenn Thrush, Brendan Ballou, Andrew Weissmann, Karoun Demirjian, Basil Smikle, John Heilemann, Jacob Soboroff, and Andy Kroll.

The future of the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Donald Trump at the White House today. The US president is eager to see the war over, while Netanyahu, for various reasons, might be intent on continuing the fight. Amos Harel is a military analyst for Ha'aretz and he joins the program from Tel Aviv.   Also on today's show: Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, Medecins Sans Frontieres; Director RaMell Ross ("Nickel Boys"); Karoun Demirjian, reporter, The New York Times  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: this episode contains strong language.Over the past few weeks, the resistance of a single Republican senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa, had threatened to derail Donald J. Trump's choice of Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense.Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, and Jonathan Swan, who covers politics, discuss how Mr. Trump and his allies ensured that Ms. Ernst's resistance went away.Guest: Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The New York Times, with a focus on national security.Jonathan Swan, a Times reporter covering politics and Donald J. Trump's presidential campaign.Background reading: Mr. Trump became convinced that letting Mr. Hegseth fail would set off a feeding frenzy among senators.Ms. Ernst, who is facing re-election in 2026, appeared less skeptical about the pick after MAGA supporters threatened her with political retribution.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

It's been four months since President Biden requested over $100 billion in war money for Israel and Ukraine and the Senate has now passed a bill that would provide most of the money. In this episode, we examine the events that lead up to and have occurred since President Biden's address to the nation, and analyze the Senate bill along with its possible paths to becoming law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes October 7 Attack Aluf Benn. February 21, 2024. Haaretz. Liza Rozovsky. January 6, 2024. Haaretz. Amos Harel. November 27, 2023. Haaretz. November 18, 2023. Josh Breiner. Haaretz. Hagar Shezaf and Jack Khoury. October 6, 2023. Haaretz. Aftermath of the October 7 Attack Ran Shimoni et al. February 24, 2024. Haaretz. October 20, 2023. White House Briefing Room. Michael D. Shear. October 19, 2023. The New York Times. October 19, 2023. Democracy Now! History of Palestine and Israel Bernard Avishai. February 2024. Harper's Magazine. October 20, 2023. The World. Directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen, produced by Daniel J. Chalfen, Nadia Saah, and Erin Axelman. 2023. OCHA. June 2022. UNICEF. Rashid Khalidi. Macmillan Audio: 2020. Directed by Abby Martin. 2019. Empire Files. Ian Black. Tantor Audio: 2018. Darryl Cooper. 2015-2016. Martyrmade Podcast. April 16, 2015. Defense for Children International - Palestine. March 2012. Visualizing Palestine. Balfour Declaration Zena Al Tahhan. November 2, 2018. Al Jazeera. Lord Arthur James Balfour. November 2, 1917. Jewish Virtual Library. Vanishing Palestine Retrieved on February 27, 2024. Wikipedia: the free Encyclopedia. October 11, 2023. BBC. Hagar Shezaf. December 11, 2020. Haaretz. May 12, 2020. Human Rights Watch. Mitchell Bard. Jewish Virtual Library. Al Jazeera. Alex Hartman et al. December 9, 2004. Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. 2003. Creation of Israel 1947. April 1983. United Nations. Lebanon Rania Abouzeid. October 21, 2023. The New Yorker. Tom Perry et al. October 18, 2022. Reuters. Dahiya Doctrine December 7, 2012. Institute for Middle East Understanding. Gabi Siboni. October 2, 2008. INSS Insight. November 23, 2006. UN General Assembly Human Rights Council. Gaza Death Toll AJLabs. Retrieved on February 27, 2024. Al Jazeera. Amna Nawaz and Sonia Kopelev. February 9, 2024. PBS NewsHour. Linda Dayan. December 26, 2023. Haaretz. June 23, 2015. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Caabu. Rory McCarthy. September 15, 2009. The Guardian. Post-October 7 Land Grab Henriette Chacar. February 23, 2024. Reuters. Julia Frankel. February 23, 2024. AP News. Liza Rozovsky. February 15, 2024. Haaretz. Nir Hasson and Rachel Fink. January 28, 2024. Haaretz. Abdelraouf Arnaout. January 3, 2024. Anadolu Agency. Itai Weiss. December 27, 2023. Haaretz. Yitzhak Benbaji et al. November 30, 2023. Haaretz. Isaac Chotiner. November 11, 2023. The New Yorker. Uploaded by LocalCall. October 13, 2023. Scribd. Gas Rights Walid Abuhelal. February 20, 2024. Middle East Eye. Israeli Nukes Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. Ceasefire Amy Spiro et al. November 30, 2023. The Times of Israel. Omar Shakir. November 29, 2023. Human Rights Watch. The Destruction of Gaza James Mackenzie and Nidal Al-Mughrabi. February 15, 2024. Reuters. Mithil Aggarwal and Yasmine Salam. January 18, 2024. NBC News. Yahya R. Sarraj. December 24, 2023. The New York Times. Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber. December 21, 2023. Reuters. U.S. Aid to Israel Matthew Lee. December 29, 2023. PBS NewsHour. Michael D. Shear and Karoun Demirjian. October 20, 2023. The New York Times. Limiting Aid to Gaza Katie Polglase and Muhammad Darwish. February 21, 2024. CNN. Rachel Fink. February 7, 2024. Haaretz. Lindsey Hilsum. February 5, 2024. Channel 4 News. Jessica Le Masurier. February 5, 2024. France 24. Netanyahu Rejects Two State Solution January 19, 2024. DW. Why Does the U.S. Government Support Israel? OpenSecrets. Real American History Howard Zinn. Harper Audio: 2009. Ukraine Anatol Lieven. February 24, 2024. Time. Border Crisis Jamie Dupree. February 15, 2024. Regular Order. Caitlin Yilek. February 14, 2024. CBS News. Kelly Garrity. February 5, 2024. Politico. Bills Audio Sources February 11, 2024 Bernie Sanders on X October 19, 2023 C-SPAN Executive Producer Recommended Sources Music by Editing Production Assistance

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (02/14/2024): 3:05pm- On Tuesday, a special election was held in New York's 3rd District to fill former U.S. Representative George Santos' vacant Congressional seat. Democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican candidate Mazi Pilip 54% to 46%. Nate Cohn of The New York Times writes: “Millions were spent on campaign advertisements, with Democrats outspending Republicans by a wide margin. And unlike with most special elections, Democrats nominated a fairly well-known candidate. Mr. Suozzi, who retired ahead of the 2022 election, had a strong electoral track record, having beaten Mr. Santos here by more than 12 points in 2020… There was even a big snowstorm on Tuesday that may have dampened Republican Election Day turnout (Democrats voted more by mail).” Could this special election be indicative of what will happen during the 2024 presidential election? Cohn continues: “Last week, a Siena College poll…found Mr. Biden running a full nine percentage points behind Mr. Suozzi and trailing Donald J. Trump in the district.” Last year, Santos became the sixth congressman in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. The House voted 311 to 114 in favor of removing him following numerous allegations of lying about his background and a 23-count indictment that includes allegations he “repeatedly, without authorization” charged donor credit cards—depositing funds into his own bank account. Though, he has not yet been found guilty of any crimes. The Republican majority in the House will shrink—219 to 213 with 3 vacancies. You can read Cohn's article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/upshot/special-election-democrats-new-york.html 3:20pm- Tracey Tully and Benjamin Weiser of The New York Times write: “A luxury Mercedes-Benz, gold bars, exercise equipment and stacks of cash featured prominently in a federal indictment that charged Senator Robert Menendez with accepting a sordid array of bribes. Now, prosecutors say a diamond engagement ring for the senator's future wife, Nadine Menendez, was also part of the elaborate bribery scheme — and a source of infighting between co-defendants who are expected to stand trial together in May. Wael Hana, a longtime friend of Ms. Menendez's who is also charged in the alleged conspiracy, attempted to cheat her out of the full value of the ring, according to court documents filed late Monday by prosecutors in Manhattan.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/nyregion/menendez-bribes-ring.html 3:35pm- Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected a critical mass of support in Congress for the $95 billion emergency aid legislation and for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The measure would provide an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv—which would bring the total U.S. investment in the war effort to more than $170 billion—as well as $14.1 billion for Israel's war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza.” But will Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hold a vote on the bill in the Republican-controlled House? Demirkian explains: “Mr. Johnson controls the floor and right-wing lawmakers have shown a willingness to block legislation they oppose from even coming up for a vote. Still, if proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck [Donald] Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House—218 members—calling for the action.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html 3:40pm- Lee Habeeb— Newsweek Columnist & Vice President of Content at Salem Media Group—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article, “The Forgotten Man: A 1883 Speech Might Explain the Rise of Trump.” You can read the full article here: https://www.newsweek.com/forgotten-man-1883-speech-might-explain-rise-trump-1867929 4:05pm- During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan answered questions about Congressional renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). When asked if a warrant should be necessary for all collected data, Sullivan explained, “we do not believe that that serves the national security interests of the U.S.” 4:10pm- Mairead Elordi of The Daily Wire writes: “A trans-identifying firefighter is suing the city of Philadelphia for allegedly refusing insurance coverage for his facial feminization surgery. The firefighter, a 55-year-old man who has been with the Philadelphia fire department for 28 years, claims that the city, as well as his union, Firefighters & Paramedics Local 22, and Independence Blue Cross insurance all discriminated against him on the basis of his gender identity.” You can read the full article here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-identifying-firefighter-suing-philadelphia-over-facial-feminization-surgery-coverage 4:20pm- Former NCAA leader Rachel Dolezal, who was fired from the organization after it was revealed she received the position after pretending to be black, now has an OnlyFans account. 4:30pm- Casey Mattox—Vice President of Legal & Judicial Strategy at Americans for Prosperity—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article for The New York Post, “Why Our Politicians Can't Stop Passing Absurd Laws.” Some of the nation's most bizarre laws include an Arizona law which makes it illegal for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs, a ban on silly-string in Alabama, and a Connecticut regulation on the bounciness of pickles. You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/02/03/opinion/politicians-cant-stop-passing-absurd-laws/ 4:50pm- During the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, an estimated ten to fifteen people were wounded in a shooting—at least one person has been killed. According to reports, two armed people have been detained by police. 5:05pm- According to a new report from Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Alex Gutentag, “the United States Intelligence Community (IC), including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), illegally mobilized foreign intelligence agencies to target [then-Republican presidential candidate Donald] Trump advisors long before the summer of 2016.” You can read more here: https://public.substack.com/p/cia-had-foreign-allies-spy-on-trump 5:20pm- On Tuesday, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, David Sacks, and Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) participated in a Twitter Spaces conversation on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the Senate-passed foreign aid bill that would provide Ukraine with an additional $60.1 billion in financial assistance. During the conversation, Musk argued: "This spending does not help Ukraine. Prolonging the war and sacrificing the…youth, having these boys die for nothing is wrong and needs to stop." Senator Johnson echoed a similar sentiment noting, “we all have to understand that Vladimir Putin will not lose this war” as losing would result in him being removed as Russian President. 5:40pm- While appearing on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, sports commentator Bob Costas addressed the growing trend of biological males competing against female athletes—explaining, “we can't throw common sense out the window.”

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected a critical mass of support in Congress for the $95 billion emergency aid legislation and for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The measure would provide an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv—which would bring the total U.S. investment in the war effort to more than $170 billion—as well as $14.1 billion for Israel's war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza.” But will Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hold a vote on the bill in the Republican-controlled House? Demirkian explains: “Mr. Johnson controls the floor and right-wing lawmakers have shown a willingness to block legislation they oppose from even coming up for a vote. Still, if proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck [Donald] Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House—218 members—calling for the action.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) referred to his colleague Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as a “prick” for delaying a vote on a controversial foreign aid bill. During a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on all NATO members to pay 2% of their annual gross domestic product in joint defense. Currently, 20 of the 31 alliance members meet the threshold they've pledged to contribute. Trump said: “one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘well sir, if we don't pay and we are attacked by Russia will you protect us?' I said, ‘you didn't pay? You're delinquent?...no, I would not protect you.'” In response, Democrats have claimed that Trump is a threat to European allies, claiming if elected he will have the United States leave NATO. However, as Annie Linskey, Aaron Zitner, and Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal note, “last year, Congress included an amendment offered by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), in the annual defense-policy bill that requires the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress before any president could ‘suspend, terminate, or withdraw' U.S. membership in NATO. The language sets a high threshold—two-thirds of all senators—to approve a withdrawal and bars any funding from being used to support such a move by any government official. It became law when Biden signed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in late December.” You can read the Wall Street Journal article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/nato-leader-blasts-trumps-suggestion-he-would-encourage-russian-invasion-of-u-s-allies-3eb96a10?mod=hp_lead_pos9 In a video posted to social media, Senator Elizabeth Warren blamed corporate greed for “shrinkflation”—explicitly calling out Doritos for reducing the number of chips in their bags without reducing prices. But as Dominic Pino of National Review notes, there is no grand Doritos conspiracy: “Chip bags are measured by weight, not by volume. Nitrogen is essentially weightless, so putting more nitrogen in the bag does not allow chip companies to reduce the amount of chips. When companies reduce the amount of chips, they do so straightforwardly, by changing the weight listed on the bags.” You can read more here: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-president-complains-about-chip-bags/ On Tuesday night, the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for willfully refusing to secure the U.S. Southern border. 

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (02/13/2024): 3:05pm- On Tuesday, former Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. In his opening statement, which has been made public, Bobulinski explains: “from my direct personal experience and what I have subsequently come to learn, it is clear to me that Joe Biden was "the Brand" being sold by the Biden family. His family's foreign influence peddling operation—from China to Ukraine and elsewhere—sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government. Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family's business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability. The only reason any of these international business transactions took place—with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family—was because Joe Biden was in high office.” 3:20pm- Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected a critical mass of support in Congress for the $95 billion emergency aid legislation and for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The measure would provide an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv—which would bring the total U.S. investment in the war effort to more than $170 billion—as well as $14.1 billion for Israel's war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza.” But will Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hold a vote on the bill in the Republican-controlled House? Demirkian explains: “Mr. Johnson controls the floor and right-wing lawmakers have shown a willingness to block legislation they oppose from even coming up for a vote. Still, if proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck [Donald] Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House—218 members—calling for the action.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html 3:35pm- During a speech delivered from the White House, President Joe Biden called on the House of Representatives to pass a bill that would provide $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. The Senate passed the bill 70 to 29 on Tuesday morning. Biden accused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of having “bowed down” to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and claimed Trump wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 3:40pm- During a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on all NATO members to pay 2% of their annual gross domestic product in joint defense. Currently, 20 of the 31 alliance members meet the threshold they've pledged to contribute. Trump said: “one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘well sir, if we don't pay and we are attacked by Russia will you protect us?' I said, ‘you didn't pay? You're delinquent?...no, I would not protect you.'” In response, Democrats have claimed that Trump is a threat to European allies, claiming if elected he will have the United States leave NATO. However, as Annie Linskey, Aaron Zitner, and Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal note, “last year, Congress included an amendment offered by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), in the annual defense-policy bill that requires the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress before any president could ‘suspend, terminate, or withdraw' U.S. membership in NATO. The language sets a high threshold—two-thirds of all senators—to approve a withdrawal and bars any funding from being used to support such a move by any government official. It became law when Biden signed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in late December.” You can read the Wall Street Journal article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/nato-leader-blasts-trumps-suggestion-he-would-encourage-russian-invasion-of-u-s-allies-3eb96a10?mod=hp_lead_pos9 3:50pm- CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge has been laid off—one of approximately 800 employees at Paramount who were let go on Tuesday. Alexandra Steigrad of The New York Post wrote: “Insiders said Herridge had clashed with CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews—a sharp-elbowed executive who was investigated in 2021 over favoritism and discriminatory hiring and management practices.” You can read more here: https://nypost.com/2024/02/13/media/bloodbath-at-cbs-news-includes-reporter-fighting-first-amendment-case/ 4:05pm- On Tuesday, former Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. In his opening statement, which has been made public, Bobulinski explains: “from my direct personal experience and what I have subsequently come to learn, it is clear to me that Joe Biden was "the Brand" being sold by the Biden family. His family's foreign influence peddling operation—from China to Ukraine and elsewhere—sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government. Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family's business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability. The only reason any of these international business transactions took place—with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family—was because Joe Biden was in high office.” 4:10pm- Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) referred to his colleague Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as a “prick” for delaying a vote on a controversial foreign aid bill. 4:15pm- Health officials have identified a case of the bubonic plague in a person residing in Oregon. An investigation concluded the individual was likely infected by a house cat. Meanwhile, evolutionary biologists at Princeton University have found that wolves in Chernobyl—the location of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown in 1986—may have developed a resistance to cancer. So, do mutant Chernobyl wolves make for better pets than house cats? The evidence seems clear. 4:30pm- Dr. EJ Antoni—Economist & Research Fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to breakdown January's inflation report which reveals consumer prices rose 3.1% year-to-year, higher than the 2.9% that economists had forecasted. As a consequence of this month's inflation report, the Dow Jones Industrial average fell 524.63 points—the Dow's worst day since March of last year. 4:50pm- On Tuesday, the New York special election to fill former U.S. Representative George Santos' vacant Congressional seat. Last year, Santos became the sixth congressman in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. The House voted 311 to 114 in favor of removing him following numerous allegations of lying about his background and a 23-count indictment that includes allegations he “repeatedly, without authorization” charged donor credit cards—depositing funds into his own bank account. Though, he has not yet been found guilty of any crimes. Republicans currently hold a majority in the House—219 to 212 with 4 vacancies. 5:05pm- On Tuesday, former Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. In his opening statement, which has been made public, Bobulinski explains: “from my direct personal experience and what I have subsequently come to learn, it is clear to me that Joe Biden was "the Brand" being sold by the Biden family. His family's foreign influence peddling operation—from China to Ukraine and elsewhere—sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government. Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family's business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability. The only reason any of these international business transactions took place—with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family—was because Joe Biden was in high office.” 5:20pm- While speaking with the press, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed it was “right-wing propaganda” to say President Joe Biden's memory is deteriorating. However, last week, Special Counsel Robert Hur recommended that the Department of Justice not prosecute President Biden for mishandling classified documents because of the president's poor recollection and fading memory. 5:25pm- On HBO's Real Time, host Bill Maher called out numerous celebrities for threatening to leave the U.S. if Donald Trump is reelected president in 2024. Maher reminds his audience that singer Miley Cyrus, comedian George Lopez, and comedian Eddie Griffin all threatened to flee America prior to Trump's 2016 election—and yet, none of them ever left. 5:30pm- Libs of TikTok recently tweeted courtroom footage of the most bizarre lawsuit in recent memory. A transgender woman is suing his boyfriend for the return of his testicles—which had been stored in the couple's shared refrigerator. How is this story real? 5:40pm- In a 2021 video released by Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute Christopher Rufo, Disney CEO Bob Iger—who at the time was Executive Chairman of Disney—vowed to make the company more political following the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. 5:50pm- According to a new report from Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Alex Gutentag, “the United States Intelligence Community (IC), including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), illegally mobilized foreign intelligence agencies to target Trump advisors long before the summer of 2016.” You can read more here: https://public.substack.com/p/cia-had-foreign-allies-spy-on-trump 6:05pm- Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected a critical mass of support in Congress for the $95 billion emergency aid legislation and for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The measure would provide an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv—which would bring the total U.S. investment in the war effort to more than $170 billion—as well as $14.1 billion for Israel's war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza.” But will Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hold a vote on the bill in the Republican-controlled House? Demirkian explains: “Mr. Johnson controls the floor and right-wing lawmakers have shown a willingness to block legislation they oppose from even coming up for a vote. Still, if proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck [Donald] Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House—218 members—calling for the action.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html 6:10pm- Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) referred to his colleague Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as a “prick” for delaying a vote on a controversial foreign aid bill. 6:15pm- During a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on all NATO members to pay 2% of their annual gross domestic product in joint defense. Currently, 20 of the 31 alliance members meet the threshold they've pledged to contribute. Trump said: “one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘well sir, if we don't pay and we are attacked by Russia will you protect us?' I said, ‘you didn't pay? You're delinquent?...no, I would not protect you.'” In response, Democrats have claimed that Trump is a threat to European allies, claiming if elected he will have the United States leave NATO. However, as Annie Linskey, Aaron Zitner, and Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal note, “last year, Congress included an amendment offered by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), in the annual defense-policy bill that requires the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress before any president could ‘suspend, terminate, or withdraw' U.S. membership in NATO. The language sets a high threshold—two-thirds of all senators—to approve a withdrawal and bars any funding from being used to support such a move by any government official. It became law when Biden signed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in late December.” You can read the Wall Street Journal article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/nato-leader-blasts-trumps-suggestion-he-would-encourage-russian-invasion-of-u-s-allies-3eb96a10?mod=hp_lead_pos9 6:30pm- In a video posted to social media, Senator Elizabeth Warren blamed corporate greed for “shrinkflation”—explicitly calling out Doritos for reducing the number of chips in their bags without reducing prices. But as Dominic Pino of National Review notes, there is no grand Doritos conspiracy: “Chip bags are measured by weight, not by volume. Nitrogen is essentially weightless, so putting more nitrogen in the bag does not allow chip companies to reduce the amount of chips. When companies reduce the amount of chips, they do so straightforwardly, by changing the weight listed on the bags.” You can read more here: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-president-complains-about-chip-bags/ 6:40pm- On Tuesday night, the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for willfully refusing to secure the U.S. Southern border. 

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: On Tuesday, former Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. In his opening statement, which has been made public, Bobulinski explains: “from my direct personal experience and what I have subsequently come to learn, it is clear to me that Joe Biden was "the Brand" being sold by the Biden family. His family's foreign influence peddling operation—from China to Ukraine and elsewhere—sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government. Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family's business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability. The only reason any of these international business transactions took place—with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family—was because Joe Biden was in high office.” Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected a critical mass of support in Congress for the $95 billion emergency aid legislation and for continuing to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The measure would provide an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv—which would bring the total U.S. investment in the war effort to more than $170 billion—as well as $14.1 billion for Israel's war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza.” But will Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hold a vote on the bill in the Republican-controlled House? Demirkian explains: “Mr. Johnson controls the floor and right-wing lawmakers have shown a willingness to block legislation they oppose from even coming up for a vote. Still, if proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck [Donald] Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House—218 members—calling for the action.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html During a speech delivered from the White House, President Joe Biden called on the House of Representatives to pass a bill that would provide $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. The Senate passed the bill 70 to 29 on Tuesday morning. Biden accused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of having “bowed down” to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and claimed Trump wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). During a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called on all NATO members to pay 2% of their annual gross domestic product in joint defense. Currently, 20 of the 31 alliance members meet the threshold they've pledged to contribute. Trump said: “one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘well sir, if we don't pay and we are attacked by Russia will you protect us?' I said, ‘you didn't pay? You're delinquent?...no, I would not protect you.'” In response, Democrats have claimed that Trump is a threat to European allies, claiming if elected he will have the United States leave NATO. However, as Annie Linskey, Aaron Zitner, and Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal note, “last year, Congress included an amendment offered by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), in the annual defense-policy bill that requires the advice and consent of the Senate or an act of Congress before any president could ‘suspend, terminate, or withdraw' U.S. membership in NATO. The language sets a high threshold—two-thirds of all senators—to approve a withdrawal and bars any funding from being used to support such a move by any government official. It became law when Biden signed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in late December.” You can read the Wall Street Journal article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/nato-leader-blasts-trumps-suggestion-he-would-encourage-russian-invasion-of-u-s-allies-3eb96a10?mod=hp_lead_pos9 CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge has been laid off—one of approximately 800 employees at Paramount who were let go on Tuesday. Alexandra Steigrad of The New York Post wrote: “Insiders said Herridge had clashed with CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews—a sharp-elbowed executive who was investigated in 2021 over favoritism and discriminatory hiring and management practices.” You can read more here: https://nypost.com/2024/02/13/media/bloodbath-at-cbs-news-includes-reporter-fighting-first-amendment-case/

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (02/07/2024): 3:05pm The Senate's bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill failed to achieve the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance. The final vote was 49 to 50. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, changes his vote to no, which is a strategic procedural move to make sure he can raise the measure again, not a sign that he has suddenly changed his mind about the substance of the bill.” She continues: “Four Republicans voted to advance the foreign aid measure that included border security provisions: Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah. Four Democrats—Senators Alex Padilla of California, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ed Markey of Massachusetts—voted against doing so, as did Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/07/us/congress-ukraine-israel-aid/85a3b581-3ab8-527c-bb12-ee1ee4be6664?smid=url-share 3:20pm- While appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) blamed Republican leadership in the Senate for helping Democrats look good by agreeing to an ineffective border bill prior to clearing it with the Republican party members. 3:25pm- Speaking to the press, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) explained why he vehemently opposes the Senate bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill. “The idea that we are committed to supporting whatever came out of this negotiation is pure, unadulterated bulls***. We supported a negotiation to bring common sense border security to this country—we did not agree to a fig leaf to send another $61 billion to Ukraine.” 3:40pm- On Tuesday, Nevada held its presidential primary. Despite basically running uncontested, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley received fewer votes than the “None of These Candidates” option on the ballot. With 88% of the vote counted Haley trails 63% to 31%. On Thursday, the Nevada Republican Party will hold its presidential caucus which Donald Trump is expected to win—and, presumably, will receive the state's 26 delegates. The Nevada primary will award no delegates. 4:05pm- On Tuesday night, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives attempted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas but failed. The final vote was 214-216. Four Republicans joined Democrats and voted “nay”— Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of Colorado, Blake Moore of Utah, and Tom McClintock of California. Though, Rep. Moore switched his vote for procedural reasons to help Republicans reintroduce the article of impeachment at a later date. Why did Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) hold the vote if he didn't have the numbers? Rep. Al Green (D-TX) had recently undergone abdominal surgery and rushed to the Capitol Hill from his hospital bed—arriving in hospital garb to vote. He was not expected to be in attendance. Republican leadership plans to hold another impeachment vote when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is receiving treatment for cancer, is healthy enough to vote. 4:25pm- While speaking with the press, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) criticized pro-Palestine protesters advocating for a ceasefire, asking: “Why aren't you protesting to bring [the Israeli hostages] home right now? Why aren't you demanding that Hamas surrenders as well?” 4:30pm- According to a report from 6ABC, “two police officers were shot Wednesday afternoon when they responded to reports of a shooting at a home in East Lansdowne, Delaware County. Sources said an 11-year-old was shot inside the home in the unit block of Lewis Avenue. As soon as officers arrived, a person started shooting at them, sources told Action News. Two officers were hit and the suspect retreated into the home, sources said. A fire started at the home about 15 minutes after officers arrived. There were no additional shots fired, but sources said authorities fear the child and suspect may still be in the home.” You can find updates on this developing story here: https://6abc.com/east-lansdowne-house-fire-lewis-avenue-officers-shot/14396024/ 4:50pm- NBC's Chuck Todd accused conservative media of killing the Senate's bipartisan border security/foreign aid deal and of “gaslighting” the American people into believing it wasn't an effective bill. 5:05pm- While appearing on Fox News with Jesse Waters, actress Gina Carano said she is suing Disney for the “next generation” of actors and actresses who may wish to express their conservative political opinions publicly. Disney fired Carano, who at the time starred in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, in 2021. 5:10pm- Congressman Jeff Van Drew— Representative for New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss yesterday's vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Rep. Van Drew explains that as soon as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is healthy enough to return to Capitol Hill, Republican leadership will hold another impeachment vote. You can visit Rep.Van Drew's website to learn more about his policies and support his reelection campaign: https://vandrew.house.gov 5:25pm- According to a report from 6ABC, “two police officers were shot Wednesday afternoon when they responded to reports of a shooting at a home in East Lansdowne, Delaware County. Sources said an 11-year-old was shot inside the home in the unit block of Lewis Avenue. As soon as officers arrived, a person started shooting at them, sources told Action News. Two officers were hit and the suspect retreated into the home, sources said. A fire started at the home about 15 minutes after officers arrived. There were no additional shots fired, but sources said authorities fear the child and suspect may still be in the home.” You can find updates on this developing story here: https://6abc.com/east-lansdowne-house-fire-lewis-avenue-officers-shot/14396024/ 5:30pm- On Tuesday, Nevada held its presidential primary. Despite basically running uncontested, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley received fewer votes than the “None of These Candidates” option on the ballot. With 88% of the vote counted Haley trails 63% to 31%. On Thursday, the Nevada Republican Party will hold its presidential caucus which Donald Trump is expected to win—and, presumably, will receive the state's 26 delegates. The Nevada primary will award no delegates. 5:40pm- Daniel Turner—Founder & Executive Director of Power the Future—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Power the Future recently filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Biden Administration for failing to make public Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry's paid staff. The Boston Herald reports that Kerry's 45-person staff has collectively received $4.3 million per year in taxpayer-funded salary. Turner explains: "For nearly three years, John Kerry has been jet-setting on the international climate conference circuit while sending taxpayers the bill. Today, we begin the process of teaching John Kerry and Joe Biden that they work for the taxpayers. No one should have to waste resources on litigation, but that is our only option since John Kerry thinks he can keep his office off the books. The American people are on the receiving end of countless green mandates and rules, gas stove bans and skyrocketing utility bills, with no opportunity for consent or input, and many of these decisions are hatched in John Kerry's office. That is why it is our hope that this litigation will finally bring to light the information we deserve to know: the staff names, the office goals and budgets, the outside partnerships that peddle influence on Joe Biden's green agenda." You can read more here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-sued-hiding-john-kerrys-staff-coordination-eco-groups 6:05pm- Rich is busy hosting a Speaker Series with #1 global best-selling author and film producer Terry Hayes at Main Point Books in Wayne, PA—so, Mike Opelka hosts hour 4 of the show! 6:10pm- According to a report from 6ABC, “two police officers were shot Wednesday afternoon when they responded to reports of a shooting at a home in East Lansdowne, Delaware County. Sources said an 11-year-old was shot inside the home in the unit block of Lewis Avenue. As soon as officers arrived, a person started shooting at them, sources told Action News. Two officers were hit and the suspect retreated into the home, sources said. A fire started at the home about 15 minutes after officers arrived.” The house fire is now under control. You can find updates on this developing story here: https://6abc.com/east-lansdowne-house-fire-lewis-avenue-officers-shot/14396024/ 6:15pm- The Senate's bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill failed to achieve the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance. The final vote was 49 to 50. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, changes his vote to no, which is a strategic procedural move to make sure he can raise the measure again, not a sign that he has suddenly changed his mind about the substance of the bill.” She continues: “Four Republicans voted to advance the foreign aid measure that included border security provisions: Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah. Four Democrats—Senators Alex Padilla of California, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ed Markey of Massachusetts—voted against doing so, as did Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/07/us/congress-ukraine-israel-aid/85a3b581-3ab8-527c-bb12-ee1ee4be6664?smid=url-share 6:20pm- On Tuesday night, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives attempted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas but failed. The final vote was 214-216. Four Republicans joined Democrats and voted “nay”— Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of Colorado, Blake Moore of Utah, and Tom McClintock of California. Though Rep. Moore switched his vote for procedural reasons to help Republicans reintroduce the article of impeachment at a later date. Why did Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) hold the vote if he didn't have the numbers? Rep. Al Green (D-TX) had recently undergone abdominal surgery and rushed to Capitol Hill from his hospital bed—arriving in hospital garb to vote. He was not expected to be in attendance. Republican leadership plans to hold another impeachment vote when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is receiving treatment for cancer, is healthy enough to vote. 6:35pm- Hannah Sparks of The New York Post writes: “You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your pathogens. A review of dozens of published studies into the mechanisms behind neurological diseases has collected strong evidence that people who frequently pick their noses are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The new report, compiled and written by researchers at Western Sydney University, was published in the journal Biomolecules late last year.” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/02/04/lifestyle/nose-picking-likely-partially-to-blame-for-alzheimers-disease-scientists/

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: Rich is busy hosting a Speaker Series with #1 global best-selling author and film producer Terry Hayes at Main Point Books in Wayne, PA—so, Mike Opelka hosts hour 4 of the show! According to a report from 6ABC, “two police officers were shot Wednesday afternoon when they responded to reports of a shooting at a home in East Lansdowne, Delaware County. Sources said an 11-year-old was shot inside the home in the unit block of Lewis Avenue. As soon as officers arrived, a person started shooting at them, sources told Action News. Two officers were hit and the suspect retreated into the home, sources said. A fire started at the home about 15 minutes after officers arrived.” The house fire is now under control. You can find updates on this developing story here: https://6abc.com/east-lansdowne-house-fire-lewis-avenue-officers-shot/14396024/ The Senate's bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill failed to achieve the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance. The final vote was 49 to 50. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, changes his vote to no, which is a strategic procedural move to make sure he can raise the measure again, not a sign that he has suddenly changed his mind about the substance of the bill.” She continues: “Four Republicans voted to advance the foreign aid measure that included border security provisions: Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah. Four Democrats—Senators Alex Padilla of California, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ed Markey of Massachusetts—voted against doing so, as did Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/07/us/congress-ukraine-israel-aid/85a3b581-3ab8-527c-bb12-ee1ee4be6664?smid=url-share On Tuesday night, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives attempted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas but failed. The final vote was 214-216. Four Republicans joined Democrats and voted “nay”— Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of Colorado, Blake Moore of Utah, and Tom McClintock of California. Though Rep. Moore switched his vote for procedural reasons to help Republicans reintroduce the article of impeachment at a later date. Why did Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) hold the vote if he didn't have the numbers? Rep. Al Green (D-TX) had recently undergone abdominal surgery and rushed to Capitol Hill from his hospital bed—arriving in hospital garb to vote. He was not expected to be in attendance. Republican leadership plans to hold another impeachment vote when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is receiving treatment for cancer, is healthy enough to vote. Hannah Sparks of The New York Post writes: “You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your pathogens. A review of dozens of published studies into the mechanisms behind neurological diseases has collected strong evidence that people who frequently pick their noses are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The new report, compiled and written by researchers at Western Sydney University, was published in the journal Biomolecules late last year.” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2024/02/04/lifestyle/nose-picking-likely-partially-to-blame-for-alzheimers-disease-scientists/

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (02/06/2024): 3:05pm- In a 57-page opinion, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously rejected Donald Trump's argument that presidential immunity legally shields him from criminal charges related to his challenging of the 2024 presidential election results. The judges wrote: "We cannot accept former President Trump's claim that a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power—the recognition and implementation of election results. Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count." Trump has vowed to appeal the decision—which will mean the case will be heard by the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court. You can read the full text of the ruling here: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/full-text-trump-immunity-ruling-appeals-court-rcna137482 3:15pm- Joe Barrett of The Wall Street Journal writes: “The mother of a Michigan teen who killed four students at his high school in 2021 was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, the first time a parent of a school shooter has been convicted of homicide in connection with the attack. Jennifer Crumbley, whose son, Ethan, pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in the killings at Oxford High about 40 miles north of Detroit and is serving life in prison, lowered her head slightly but showed little other reaction as the verdict was read in an Oakland County courtroom. The judge set a sentencing date of April 9. Crumbley's husband, James Crumbley, will stand trial for the same charges in a separate trial next month.” You can read the full report here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/mother-of-michigan-school-shooter-ethan-crumbley-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-ccd8bfff?mod=hp_lead_pos1 3:40pm- Country singer and songwriter Toby Keith has passed away at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. 3:55pm- Don't wish “The Greater Chris” a happy birthday… 4:05pm- According to reports, the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday—alleging that he has willfully refused to enforce existing U.S. border security laws. With only a slim majority in the House, it is uncertain whether Republicans will have enough votes to successfully impeach Mayorkas. 4:15pm- On Sunday, leadership in the U.S. Senate released the details of a bipartisan bill designed to reduce illegal border crossings, send $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, and $14.1 billion in aid to Israel. The 370-page bill mandates a border shutdown if more than 5,000 migrants unlawfully enter the U.S. in a single day. However, the shutdown cannot exceed 270 days in the bill's first year, 225 in the second year, and 180 days in the third year. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has said the proposed “Senate border bill will not receive a vote in the House.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has echoed a similar sentiment—and announced the House will instead vote on a standalone bill later this week that will provide $14.3 billion of aid to Israel. Annie Karni of The New York Times notes: “By Monday evening, [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell was privately acknowledging that the measure had hemorrhaged support among Republicans, and recommending they move to block it unless Democrats agreed to debate it further and allow them to propose changes.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/us/politics/republicans-border-deal.html 4:40pm- In a 57-page opinion, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously rejected Donald Trump's argument that presidential immunity legally shields him from criminal charges related to his challenging of the 2024 presidential election results. The judges wrote: "We cannot accept former President Trump's claim that a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power—the recognition and implementation of election results. Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count." Trump has vowed to appeal the decision—which will mean the case will be heard by the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court. You can read the full text of the ruling here: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/full-text-trump-immunity-ruling-appeals-court-rcna137482 4:45pm- On Tuesday, President Joe Biden spoke from the White House imploring the U.S. Congress to pass a proposed border bill crafted by a bipartisan group of Senators—James Lankford (R-OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT). However, it seems increasingly unlikely that the bill has enough support to even pass in the Senate let alone the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. During his address, President Biden blamed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for sabotaging the legislation by denouncing it in the press and on social media. 5:05pm- In a bombshell report from Tim Golden of ProPublica: “Years before Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected as Mexico's leader in 2018, U.S. drug-enforcement agents uncovered what they believed was substantial evidence that major cocaine traffickers had funneled some $2 million to his first presidential campaign. According to more than a dozen interviews with U.S. and Mexican officials and government documents reviewed by ProPublica, the money was provided to campaign aides in 2006 in return for a promise that a López Obrador administration would facilitate the traffickers' criminal operations.” You can read the full report here: https://www.propublica.org/article/mexico-amlo-lopez-obrador-campaign-drug-cartels 5:20pm- While appearing on Fox News with Bret Baier, Rep. Chip Roy explained exactly why the proposed Senate border bill does not do enough to secure the U.S. Southern border—noting that children won't count towards the 5,000 migrants per day necessary to trigger an immediate border shutdown, which he fears may encourage child trafficking. 5:30pm- Would you pay $17.59 for a Big Mac meal at McDonald's? PLUS, why is the moon shrinking? 5:40pm- During a House hearing addressing allegations that the federal government partnered with Big Tech to censor speech online, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (R-OH) revealed that email exchanges indicate the White House pressured Amazon to remove books that questioned the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. 5:50pm- According to reports, the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday—alleging that he has willfully refused to enforce existing U.S. border security laws. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times explains: “The G.O.P. can afford no more than two defections, and two Republicans—Tom McClintock of California, below pictured first, and Ken Buck of Colorado—are already committed nos. A handful of others are on the fence. But when asked if they had the votes to impeach, Speaker Mike Johnson said: ‘I believe we do.'” 6:05pm- On Sunday, leadership in the U.S. Senate released the details of a bipartisan bill designed to reduce illegal border crossings, send $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, and $14.1 billion in aid to Israel. The 370-page bill mandates a border shutdown if more than 5,000 migrants unlawfully enter the U.S. in a single day. However, the shutdown cannot exceed 270 days in the bill's first year, 225 in the second year, and 180 days in the third year. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has said the proposed “Senate border bill will not receive a vote in the House.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has echoed a similar sentiment—and announced the House will instead vote on a standalone bill later this week that will provide $14.3 billion of aid to Israel. Annie Karni of The New York Times notes: “By Monday evening, [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell was privately acknowledging that the measure had hemorrhaged support among Republicans, and recommending they move to block it unless Democrats agreed to debate it further and allow them to propose changes.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/us/politics/republicans-border-deal.html 6:10pm- In a video posted to X, Tucker Carlson announced that he will be interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The interview will be posted to X and will be free to watch. 6:25pm- For the second consecutive year, President Joe Biden will not grant an interview to the television station broadcasting the Super Bowl. Traditionally, the president participates in an interview prior to kickoff which is viewed by millions of people across the country. Upon hearing the news, former President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social: “Crooked Joe Biden has just announced that he will not be doing the big Super Bowl Interview. A great decision, he can't put two sentences together. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO REPLACE HIM—would be ‘RATINGS GOLD!'” 6:35pm- On Tuesday, President Joe Biden spoke from the White House imploring the U.S. Congress to pass a proposed border bill crafted by a bipartisan group of Senators—James Lankford (R-OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT). However, it seems increasingly unlikely that the bill has enough support to even pass in the Senate let alone the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. During his address, President Biden blamed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for sabotaging the legislation by denouncing it in the press and on social media. 6:50pm- The House of Representatives' attempt to impeach Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has failed with a vote of 214-216. Four Republicans joined Democrats and voted “nay”— Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of Colorado, Blake Moore of Utah, and Tom McClintock of California.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: The Senate's bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill failed to achieve the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance. The final vote was 49 to 50. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times writes: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, changes his vote to no, which is a strategic procedural move to make sure he can raise the measure again, not a sign that he has suddenly changed his mind about the substance of the bill.” She continues: “Four Republicans voted to advance the foreign aid measure that included border security provisions: Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah. Four Democrats—Senators Alex Padilla of California, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ed Markey of Massachusetts—voted against doing so, as did Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/07/us/congress-ukraine-israel-aid/85a3b581-3ab8-527c-bb12-ee1ee4be6664?smid=url-share While appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) blamed Republican leadership in the Senate for helping Democrats look good by agreeing to an ineffective border bill prior to clearing it with the Republican party members. Speaking to the press, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) explained why he vehemently opposes the Senate bipartisan border security/foreign aid bill. “The idea that we are committed to supporting whatever came out of this negotiation is pure, unadulterated bulls***. We supported a negotiation to bring common sense border security to this country—we did not agree to a fig leaf to send another $61 billion to Ukraine.” On Tuesday, Nevada held its presidential primary. Despite basically running uncontested, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley received fewer votes than the “None of These Candidates” option on the ballot. With 88% of the vote counted Haley trails 63% to 31%. On Thursday, the Nevada Republican Party will hold its presidential caucus which Donald Trump is expected to win—and, presumably, will receive the state's 26 delegates. The Nevada primary will award no delegates.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: In a bombshell report from Tim Golden of ProPublica: “Years before Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected as Mexico's leader in 2018, U.S. drug-enforcement agents uncovered what they believed was substantial evidence that major cocaine traffickers had funneled some $2 million to his first presidential campaign. According to more than a dozen interviews with U.S. and Mexican officials and government documents reviewed by ProPublica, the money was provided to campaign aides in 2006 in return for a promise that a López Obrador administration would facilitate the traffickers' criminal operations.” You can read the full report here: https://www.propublica.org/article/mexico-amlo-lopez-obrador-campaign-drug-cartels While appearing on Fox News with Bret Baier, Rep. Chip Roy explained exactly why the proposed Senate border bill does not do enough to secure the U.S. Southern border—noting that children won't count towards the 5,000 migrants per day necessary to trigger an immediate border shutdown, which he fears may encourage child trafficking. Would you pay $17.59 for a Big Mac meal at McDonald's? PLUS, why is the moon shrinking? During a House hearing addressing allegations that the federal government partnered with Big Tech to censor speech online, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (R-OH) revealed that email exchanges indicate the White House pressured Amazon to remove books that questioned the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. According to reports, the House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday—alleging that he has willfully refused to enforce existing U.S. border security laws. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times explains: “The G.O.P. can afford no more than two defections, and two Republicans—Tom McClintock of California, below pictured first, and Ken Buck of Colorado—are already committed nos. A handful of others are on the fence. But when asked if they had the votes to impeach, Speaker Mike Johnson said: ‘I believe we do.'”

For the past few weeks, Democrats and Republicans were closing in on a game-changing deal to secure the U.S.-Mexico border: a bipartisan compromise that's unheard-of in contemporary Washington.Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why that deal is now falling apart.Guest: Karoun Demirjian, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Divided Republicans coalesced behind a bit of legislative extortion: No Ukraine aid without a border crackdown. Then they split over how large a price to demand, imperiling both initiatives.Republicans and Democrats have agreed to try to reduce the number of migrants granted parole to stay in the United States, but cementing the compromise will take money and persuasion on both sides.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Republicans will not support additional money to Ukraine without first resolving the ongoing domestic crisis at the U.S. Southern border—as thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each day. Meanwhile, speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained, “borrowing money from China to send it to Ukraine makes no sense. It makes us weaker, not stronger.” Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Correspondent Steve Kornacki explained that according to the latest polling available on the Iowa Republican caucus, Donald Trump now leads the field with a massive 51% support. George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley accused DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith of being “obsessed” with prosecuting former President Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. Despite the Biden team and members of the far-left continually declaring Donald Trump a threat to America, Thomas B. Edsall of The New York Times—breaking down polling from a Democrat advisory group—notes that this line of attack hasn't been effective. He writes: “Particularly worrisome for Democrats, who plan to demonize Trump as a threat to democracy, are the advantages Trump and Republicans have on opposing extremism (three points), getting beyond the chaos (six points) and protecting the Constitution (eight points).” You can read the editorial here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/opinion/biden-campaign-polls.html

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (12/12/2023): 3:05pm- In her most recent article, India McKinney of the Electronic Frontier Foundation condemns the House Intelligence Committee's proposed surveillance reform bill. She writes: “the House Committee on the Judiciary (HJC) and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) marked up two very different bills (H.R. 6570—Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act in HJC, and HR 6611, the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023 in HPSCI), both of which would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—but in very different ways.” Alarmingly, HR611 “would renew the mass surveillance authority Section 702 for another eight years. It would create new authorities that the intelligence community has sought for years, but that have been denied by the courts. It would continue the indiscriminate collection of U.S. persons' communications when they talk with people abroad for use by domestic law enforcement. This was not the intention of this national security program, and people on U.S. soil should not have their communications collected without a warrant because of a loophole.” You can read McKinney's full article here: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/12/section-702-needs-reform-and-oversight-not-expansion-congress-should-oppose-hpsci 3:20pm- The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board condemned the House Judiciary Committee's proposed alterations to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) claiming it would “end Section 702's usefulness as a national-security tool” and could result in a general threat to national security. But many Republican officials—including Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-FL)—are concerned that any reauthorization of Section 702 without newly imposed restrictions will result in the continued unconstitutional, warrantless collection of American communications. You can read the full editorial here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fisa-section-702-surveillance-congress-house-judiciary-jim-jordan-jerrold-nadler-40b28f96?mod=opinion_lead_pos1 3:40pm- On the social media platform X, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote: “FISA spying on Americans is just like King George III using general warrants to persecute dissidents. Congress should not reauthorize FISA in the NDAA.” 4:05pm- On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Joe Biden—he also spent time speaking with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and several Senate Republicans. President Biden stated that if the U.S. did not immediately provide tens of billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine, America would be providing Russian President Vladimir Putin with “the greatest Christmas gift” possible. 4:15pm- After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Republicans will not support additional money to Ukraine without first resolving the ongoing domestic crisis at the U.S. Southern border—as thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each day. 4:20pm- Speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained, “borrowing money from China to send it to Ukraine makes no sense. It makes us weaker, not stronger.” 4:35pm- While fielding questions from reporters on Capitol Hill, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) discussed the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden's alleged connections to his family's foreign business deals, explaining: “We're not making a political decision…it's a legal decision.” 4:40pm- While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Correspondent Steve Kornacki explained that according to the latest polling available on the upcoming Iowa Republican caucus, Donald Trump now leads the field with a massive 51% support. 4:50pm- George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley accused DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith of being “obsessed” with prosecuting former President Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. 4:55pm- Interested in seeing The Rich Zeoli Show LIVE? We are broadcasting from the Grand Hotel of Cape May on Friday, December 15th! 5:05pm- On Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference at the White House. During his address, President Biden said, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong.” Catie Edmondson of The New York Time writes: “As Biden speaks, a bipartisan group of senators, congressional aides, and administration officials are meeting in the Capitol to try to broker an impasse on immigration talks, in an effort to unlock new funding for Ukraine. But time is rapidly running out: Congress is set to leave Washington at the end of this week.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/9569688b-07da-59f1-b5a5-e4cbf1cf302e?smid=url-share 5:20pm- President Joe Biden briefly took questions from the press following his Tuesday address on Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times notes, “As Biden answers a question about Ukraine's struggling counteroffensive, he looks down frequently at what appears to be a prepared answer. The White House was anticipating this question.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/5af66903-f6ce-5e12-9fb7-23b6815670e9?smid=url-share 5:40pm- Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share 6:05pm- After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Republicans will not support additional money to Ukraine without first resolving the ongoing domestic crisis at the U.S. Southern border—as thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each day. Meanwhile, speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained, “borrowing money from China to send it to Ukraine makes no sense. It makes us weaker, not stronger.” 6:10pm- Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share 6:15pm- While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Correspondent Steve Kornacki explained that according to the latest polling available on the Iowa Republican caucus, Donald Trump now leads the field with a massive 51% support. 6:20pm- George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley accused DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith of being “obsessed” with prosecuting former President Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. 6:40pm- Despite the Biden team and members of the far-left continually declaring Donald Trump a threat to America, Thomas B. Edsall of The New York Times—breaking down polling from a Democrat advisory group—notes that this line of attack hasn't been effective. He writes: “Particularly worrisome for Democrats, who plan to demonize Trump as a threat to democracy, are the advantages Trump and Republicans have on opposing extremism (three points), getting beyond the chaos (six points) and protecting the Constitution (eight points).” You can read the editorial here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/opinion/biden-campaign-polls.html

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: On Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference at the White House. During his address, President Biden said, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong.” Catie Edmondson of The New York Time writes: “As Biden speaks, a bipartisan group of senators, congressional aides, and administration officials are meeting in the Capitol to try to broker an impasse on immigration talks, in an effort to unlock new funding for Ukraine. But time is rapidly running out: Congress is set to leave Washington at the end of this week.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/9569688b-07da-59f1-b5a5-e4cbf1cf302e?smid=url-share President Joe Biden briefly took questions from the press following his Tuesday address on Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times notes, “As Biden answers a question about Ukraine's struggling counteroffensive, he looks down frequently at what appears to be a prepared answer. The White House was anticipating this question.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/5af66903-f6ce-5e12-9fb7-23b6815670e9?smid=url-share Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: While speaking from the White House on Wednesday, President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for “holding Ukraine's funding hostage with their extreme partisan border policies.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said that any agreement to send tens-of-billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine would need to be accompanied with funding for security at the U.S. Southern border. During his speech, President Biden conceded that the U.S. suffers from a “broken immigration system,” though he did not mention the border specifically—despite thousands of migrants unlawfully entering the U.S. every day due to relaxed border security policies adopted under his administration. Karoun Demirjian and Marc Santora of The New York Times write: “President Biden's urgent push to replenish Ukraine's war chest and send aid to Israel is on the brink of collapse in the Senate, where Republicans are prepared on Wednesday to block the funding unless Democrats agree to add strict measures to clamp down on migration at the U.S. border with Mexico. A classified briefing with administration officials called to shore up support devolved into a partisan screaming match on Tuesday afternoon, with Republicans angrily accusing Democrats of trying to steamroller over their demands for a border crackdown. Republican senators leaving the briefing said they were outraged that administration officials had refused to answer their questions about border security, which they said was a prerequisite for any plan to send emergency help to American allies.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/ukraine-aid-zelensky-congress.html During his speech from the White House on Wednesday, President Joe Biden claimed that “history will judge harshly those who turn their back on” funding Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. While briefly taking questions from the White House press, President Joe Biden denied that he ever had any interactions with Hunter Biden's business associates, or any involvement with foreign businesses. While appearing with Sean Hannity at a town hall event in Iowa on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he does not believe President Joe Biden will be the Democrat nominee for president in 2024—suggesting it will likely be California Governor Gavin Newsom or Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (12/06/2023): 3:05pm- While speaking from the White House on Wednesday, President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for “holding Ukraine's funding hostage with their extreme partisan border policies.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said that any agreement to send tens-of-billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine would need to be accompanied with funding for security at the U.S. Southern border. During his speech, President Biden conceded that the U.S. suffers from a “broken immigration system,” though he did not mention the border specifically—despite thousands of migrants unlawfully entering the U.S. every day due to relaxed border security policies adopted under his administration. 3:20pm- Karoun Demirjian and Marc Santora of The New York Times write: “President Biden's urgent push to replenish Ukraine's war chest and send aid to Israel is on the brink of collapse in the Senate, where Republicans are prepared on Wednesday to block the funding unless Democrats agree to add strict measures to clamp down on migration at the U.S. border with Mexico. A classified briefing with administration officials called to shore up support devolved into a partisan screaming match on Tuesday afternoon, with Republicans angrily accusing Democrats of trying to steamroller over their demands for a border crackdown. Republican senators leaving the briefing said they were outraged that administration officials had refused to answer their questions about border security, which they said was a prerequisite for any plan to send emergency help to American allies.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/ukraine-aid-zelensky-congress.html 3:35pm- During his speech from the White House on Wednesday, President Joe Biden claimed that “history will judge harshly those who turn their back on” funding Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. 3:40pm- While briefly taking questions from the White House press, President Joe Biden denied that he ever had any interactions with Hunter Biden's business associates, or any involvement with foreign businesses. 3:50pm- While appearing with Sean Hannity at a town hall event in Iowa on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he does not believe President Joe Biden will be the Democrat nominee for president in 2024—suggesting it will likely be California Governor Gavin Newsom or Vice President Kamala Harris. 4:05pm- At a campaign fundraiser in Boston on Tuesday, President Joe Biden told his supporters that he's not certain he would be running for reelection if it weren't for Donald Trump also being in the race—explaining that Trump is a threat to American democracy. 4:15pm- Brooke Singman of Fox News writes: “As vice president, Joe Biden used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with son Hunter Biden and Hunter's business associates hundreds of times, new records released by the House Ways & Means Committee revealed. The committee obtained metadata from IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler that reveals Joe Biden used alias email accounts 327 times during a nine-year period—2010 to 2019—to correspond with his son, Hunter, and one of Hunter's key business associates, Eric Schwerin, among others. The majority of the email traffic took place while Biden was vice president.” You can read the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-was-in-direct-contact-with-hunters-business-partners-using-email-alias-as-vp 4:30pm- While appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump jokingly said he wouldn't be a dictator “except for day 1…I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill…After that, I'm not a dictator.” 4:45pm- The Daily Wire's new movie, “Lady Ballers,” which is streaming exclusively on their website, is now the number one streamed film in America according to Rotten Tomatoes. The Daily Wire co-founder, and star of the film, Jeremy Boreing explained that theaters won't touch the film because it pokes fun at biological males competing in women's sports. 4:55pm- While speaking with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Donald Trump revealed that former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) once revealed to him that then-Senator Joe Biden was considered the “dumbest” member of the U.S. Senate. 5:00pm- Jimmy Failla—stand-up comedian & Fox News Radio host—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss University presidents defending anti-Semitism on their campuses while testifying before the House, and Joe Biden admitting that he's only running for reelection because he dislikes Donald Trump. Plus, Jimmy talks about his new book, “Cancel Culture Dictionary: An A-to-Z Guide to Winning the War on Fun.” You can listen to The Best of Jimmy Failla every Saturday on 1210 WPHT! You can learn more about his new book, which releases January 24th, here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cancel-culture-dictionary-jimmy-failla?variant=41285227511842 5:25pm- While appearing on CBS News, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said that she believes the government should avoid interceding in gender reassignment procedures for children. Should the government protect children against irreversible procedures even in the event the child's parent endorses the decision? 5:40pm- Robby Soave of Reason writes: “Sen. Rand Paul (R–KY) is trying to stop legislation that requires automakers to continue putting dashboard A.M. radio in cars. His new amendment to the A.M. radio bill would also eliminate electric vehicle subsidies.” You can read the full report here: https://reason.com/2023/12/05/rand-paul-electric-vehicle-am-radio-subsidy-bill/ 6:05pm- Caroline Moore—Vice President of Parents Defending Education—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss a report from The Daily Signal documenting a Colorado public school which mandated an 11-year-old girl share a bed with a biological male, who identifies as a girl, during a school trip without ever notifying the girl's parents. You can read the story here: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/12/04/exclusive-school-assigned-girl-sleep-boy-who-identifies-trans-parental-notification/. You can learn more about Parent Defending Freedom here:  https://defendinged.org 6:15pm- While speaking with Bloomberg news, former Vice President Al Gore compared social media algorithms to AR-15s. He said of algorithms: “They are the digital equivalent of AR-15s. They ought to be banned. They really ought to be banned. It's an abuse of the public forum…These devices are the enemies of self-government, and they are the enemies of democracy.” 6:20pm- On Tuesday, Harvard University President Claudine Gay testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee. During one noteworthy exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Gay refused to say anti-Semitic speech was violative of the school's code of conduct—arguing that Harvard is an ardent supporter of free speech. In 2020, Rep. Stefanik was appointed to a Senior Advisory position with the Harvard Institute of Politics—however, because she was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump during the 2020 election, the student body protested the appointment and Harvard ultimately fired her. So, the notion that Harvard is an ardent supporter of free speech is flawed—they seem to only support speech provided it gels with the popular progressive opinions of the moment. 6:30pm- The Rich Zeoli Show is preempted for college basketball—the Temple Owls take on Bloomsburg University on 1210 WPHT.

For the past few months, a single senator — Tommy Tuberville — has blocked hundreds of promotions in the U.S. military.Karoun Demirjian, a congressional correspondent for The Times, explains what's behind the senator's blockade, and why military leaders say it's becoming a threat to national security.Guest: Karoun Demirjian, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Tuberville's bid to reverse a Pentagon policy ensuring abortion access for service members has delayed the smooth transfer of power at the highest echelons of the armed forces.Here's David Firestone of Times Opinion on Tuberville's blockade.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Novelist Jean Kwok joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss recent changes to child labor laws in the U.S., as more than 10 states have proposed or enacted legislation that would loosen restrictions on minors working. The three talk about what the shift means in relation to labor shortages and consider migrant children's unique vulnerability to exploitation. Kwok describes working in a New York factory from kindergarten through high school and how that experience continues to affect her life. She also reads from her novel Girl in Translation, which is based on her years as a child worker. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Jean Kwok The Leftover Woman Searching for Sylvie Lee Mambo in Chinatown Girl in Translation Others: Adrian Dickey ‘Dumb and dangerous': US sees surge in efforts to weaken child labor regulations, by Michael Sainato, The Guardian “Iowa Governor Signs Law to Loosen Child Labor Regulations” by Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio “Iowa Senate Republicans Pass Bill to Relax Some Child Labor Laws” by Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio ‘It's just crazy': Republicans attack US child labor laws as violations rise” by Michael Sainato, The Guardian “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.” by Hannah Dreier, The New York Times. “Republicans and Democrats have different top priorities for U.S. immigration policy” by J. Baxter Oliphant and Andy Cerda, Pew Research Center “House G.O.P., Divided Over Immigration, Advances Border Crackdown Plan,” by Karoun Demirjian, The New York Times “Jean Kwok, Author of Girl in Translation” by Jen Chung, The Gothamist “Children as young as 12 work legally on farms, despite years of efforts to change law” by Andrea Hsu, NPR ‘We give our blood so they live comfortably': Sri Lanka's tea pickers say they go hungry and live in squalor,” by Jeevan Ravindran, The Guardian “Meet the urban sharecroppers,” by Tanis Taylor, The Guardian China's One-Child Policy - The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show we continue our two-part conversation with Karoun Demirjian and Rachel Bade about their book, Unchecked, The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump. The book provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes detailed analysis of how, according to their reporting, House Democrats hesitated for too long to stand up to President Trump and then pulled punches in both impeachments in favor of protecting their political interests.

Join Michael in his conversation with Karoun Demirjian and Rachel Bade about their book Unchecked, The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump which provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes detailed analysis of how, according to their reporting, House Democrats hesitated for too long to stand up to President Trump and then pulled punches in both impeachments in favor of protecting their political interests.

Accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobia tend to spark and exacerbate divisions in our world. Amanda and Holly discuss two recent controversies that featured accusations of religious bias: The removal of Rep. Ilhan Omar from a congressional committee and a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad shown in an art history class. They look at the under-discussed parts of these controversies, implications for the future, and how we balance the right to religious belief and expression with respect for others' beliefs.   SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:55): A vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from a congressional committee Holly and Amanda discussed this article by Karoun Demirjian in The New York Times: House Ousts Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Panel as G.O.P. Exacts Revenge Amanda read a statement from former Rep. John Yarmuth via Twitter.   Segment 2 (starting at 11:39): A professor, ancient art and campus controversy Amanda and Holly discussed this in-depth article by Vimal Patel in The New York Times on the controversy at Hamline University: A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She Lost Her Job. For more on blasphemy laws and BJC's work against them: BJC and others speak out against blasphemy laws, covering a congressional briefing in 2018 U.S. House Supports International Religious Freedom Resolution by the Rev. Jennifer Hawks, associate general counsel at BJC Article 18 of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights Read the lawsuit filed by professor Erika López Prater, Ph.D., at this link. Holly and Amanda mentioned this article by Yonat Shimron in Religion News Service: Hamline University retracts ‘Islamophobia' charge as instructor sues   Segment 3 (starting at 31:12): What have we learned from these controversies?  Holly mentioned a program called “Protecting Academic Freedom, Empowering Muslim Students After the Hamline Controversy,” led by Rutgers Law Professor Sahar Aziz for the Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights. It is available to watch on YouTube. Amanda mentioned this open letter from Muslims for Progressive Values. Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. 

In their new book “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump,” reporters Karoun Demirjian and Rachael Bade lay out how Democrats put political self-preservation ahead of a genuine effort to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his abuses of power. The authors join Ryan Grim to discuss the missed opportunities and historical what-ifs of Trump's two impeachments.https://join.theintercept.com/donate/now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Jan. 6 hearings were must-see TV for many Americans, but did they come too late?  Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Politico's Rachael Bade join Andy to explain why the hearings were in many ways a tacit acknowledgement that the second impeachment got botched. They take us inside the thoughts and minds of political leaders, including Nancy Pelosi's aversion to impeachment and McConnell's decision to vote against his gut, all heavily reported for their book, “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump.”  Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian on Twitter @rachaelmbade and @karoun. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! CVS Health helps people navigate the healthcare system and their personal healthcare by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. At CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today's episode:  Order Rachael and Karoun's book, “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump”: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/unchecked-rachael-badekaroun-demirjian?variant=39999908544546 Read an excerpt from the book about Nancy Pelosi's aversion to impeachment: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/10/17/the-reluctant-impeacher-nancy-pelosis-00061653 Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy's book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Wednesday October 19 and reports on the midterms as many in the GOP are attempting to backtrack on their 2020 election lies and as Democrats tap heavy-hitters to campaign including Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders. Plus, Politico reporting that Trump signed court document that "knowingly included false voter fraud" information. Errin Haines, Karoun Demirjian, David Kelley join, as well as CPAC chair Matt Schlapp.

Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell speaks with the Post's Karoun Demirjian and Politico's Rachael Bade about their new book, “Unchecked,” which reveals fresh details about what happened behind the scenes of the two impeachments and acquittals of former president Donald Trump. Conversation recorded on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.

MSNBC anchor Lawrence O'Donnell has thoughts about the midterms and if you know him, you know they won't be what everyone else is saying. Then we talk to Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill about legislating reproductive rights and the shocking things she saw running up to 1/6. Then to wrap up the show Rachael Bade & Karoun Demirjian stop by to talk their new book, Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald TruSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two must-read books that vastly add to our understanding of the Trump era go on sale today: Rachael and Karoun Demirjian's “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump” ($28) and Robert Draper's “Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind” ($29).  There are meaty new excerpts out from both — starting with “The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Draper's NYT Mag piece on the far-right Georgia congresswoman's rise and what it means for a likely GOP House majority. One of the most-retweeted quotes in the piece is this warning from Greene to Rep. Kevin McCarthy: “‘I think that to be the best speaker of the House and to please the base, he's going to give me a lot of power and a lot of leeway,' she predicted in a flat, unemotional voice. ‘And if he doesn't, they're going to be very unhappy about it. I think that's the best way to read that. And that's not in any way a threat at all. I just think that's reality.'” Deeper in the story, Greene gets more specific: She tells Draper she wants a seat on the high-profile House Oversight and Judiciary committees. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

In November of 2019, the two top reporters covering the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump for the Washington Post got together over a bottle of water and decided to write a book about what had really happened. Now, that book is finally hitting bookshelves tomorrow. It's called “Unchecked, the Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump.” The authors, Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian, join the show to reveal why the outcome of those impeachments was not as inevitable as people think, why Democrats pulled their punches, and what sliding doors moments might have changed everything.

In November of 2019, the two top reporters covering the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump for the Washington Post got together over a bottle of water and decided to write a book about what had really happened. Now, that book is finally hitting bookshelves tomorrow. It's called “Unchecked, the Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump.” The authors, Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian, join the show to reveal why the outcome of those impeachments was not as inevitable as people think, why Democrats pulled their punches, and what sliding doors moments might have changed everything.

What happened during the two attempts of Congress to impeach former President Donald Trump? Face the Nation Moderator Margaret Brennan explores this question with the authors of “Unchecked,” Rachael Bade of POLITICO and the Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian.This conversation was recorded via Twitter Spaces on October 14, 2022. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week the flies chatted with Karoun Demirjian, the Pentagon Correspondent for the Washington Post. She has covered stories from all over the world including Russia and the Middle East and has won numerous awards for her work. In the interview, she shared her experience as a former foreign correspondent and gave insight into the media's role in shaping how international conflict is covered, especially in context to Russia's war on Ukraine. She also explained America's perception abroad, the hardest stories she has reported on, and much more. The flies are buzzing about this episode so be sure to check it out!

On Washington Post Live's “First Look,” associate editor Jonathan Capehart speaks with The Post's Karoun Demirjian, E.J. Dionne and Josh Rogin about President Putin's military mobilization, the midterm elections and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. Conversation recorded on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

On Washington Post Live's “First Look,” associate editor Jonathan Capehart speaks with The Post's Karoun Demirjian, E.J. Dionne and Josh Rogin about President Putin's military mobilization, the midterm elections and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. Conversation recorded on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

It's hard to imagine a political event that was covered more intensively in real time than Trump's two impeachments. But only now, 18 months after the Senate acquitted Trump a second time, we are learning crucial new details about what happened behind the scenes of those proceedings. And only now are we starting to reckon with what those two failed impeachments have wrought for Congress, the presidency, and the Constitution — and who was responsible. That reckoning comes courtesy of Playbook's own Rachael Bade and Washington Post national security reporter Karoun Demirjian, who on Oct. 18 will publish “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump.” It's an unsparing look at the characters, the calculations and, frequently, the cowardice that shaped Congress's dealings with Trump — and how the results have likely changed impeachment forever. On this week's Playbook Deep Dive, Rachael and Karoun talk extensively about their book and its provocative argument with Playbook editor Mike DeBonis. It's a reunion for the trio, who covered Capitol Hill together at the Washington Post and watched closely as Congress struggled to hold Trump to account. They discuss why “Unchecked” is an unapologetically “both sides” book, how congressional leaders' public rhetoric rarely matched private reality, and just how many impeachment articles President Joe Biden might be facing if Republicans take the House. Mike DeBonis is Playbook's editor for POLITICO. Rachael Bade is Playbook's co-author for POLITICO.  Karoun Demirjian is a national security reporter at The Washington Post. Afra Abdullah is an associate producer for POLITICO audio. Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. Brook Hayes is senior editor for POLITICO audio. Adam Allington is senior producer for POLITICO audio.  Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio. 

On Washington Post Live's “First Look,” associate editor Jonathan Capehart speaks with The Post's Karoun Demirjian, Charles Lane and Eugene Robinson about Russian troops advancing in Ukraine, Biden's pledge to support Ukraine and if Congress will pursue more gun legislation.

On Washington Post Live's “First Look,” associate editor Jonathan Capehart speaks with The Post's Karoun Demirjian, Charles Lane and Eugene Robinson about Russian troops advancing in Ukraine, Biden's pledge to support Ukraine and if Congress will pursue more gun legislation.

Russia is calling for the remaining troops in Mariupol to surrender after weeks of shelling have decimated the eastern city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says tens of thousands have died in the siege. As Russian troops regroup ahead of their expected focus on the east, $800 million worth of U.S. heavy weapons and artillery are arriving to boost the Ukrainian military. Plus, President Biden tries to sell his plans to fight inflation. Are voters listening? And why some close advisors to former President Trump worry he's making the wrong endorsements in high-stakes primary races. On today's panel: Former Defense Department official Evelyn Farkas, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post, Ret. Brig. Gen. Steven Anderson, Molly Ball of Time Magazine, Jordan Fabian of Bloomberg News, CNN's Melanie Zanona. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Karoun Demirjian, Pentagon correspondent for The Washington Post, talks about the latest developments on the crisis in Ukraine and the national security implications for the United States.

On Washington Post Live's “First Look,” opinions writer Jonathan Capehart speaks with The Post's E.J. Dionne, Karoun Demirjian & Jennifer Rubin about the evolving situation in Ukraine, potential Supreme Court nominees and the future of voting rights in Congress.

The White House lays out the case for Covid-19 vaccination booster shots being available from September 20, with The Surgeon General saying the available data proves third shots are necessary because the vaccine wanes over time and also because the delta variant is so virulent. There is rage and desperation in Afghanistan with thousands of Americans still stranded in the country, plus thousands more Afghans who trusted American promises to get them out. The Biden Administration admits it is relying on the Taliban to guarantee safe passage to Hamid Karzai airport for Americans and Afghans alike. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement from his office, following footage of the Governor at an indoor political event on Monday, mingling in a maskless crowd, contrary to CDC guidelines. Broward and Alachua Public Schools continue to defy Governor Desantis' ban on mask mandates. Miami Dade and Hillsborough County School Boards are due to meet this week to decide the action they will take as more than 4,700 Florida students and teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of school. U.S. intelligence reports earlier this summer warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghanistan Military despite President Biden's assurances. As Democrats blast the President over the chaotic Afghan withdrawal they also vow to investigate White House ‘failures' in Afghanistan. On today's panel: CNN Political Analyst Margaret Talev, The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian, Professor Vali Nasr, Professor William Schaffner, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood and CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Hosted by John King. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The CDC strengthens its recommendation for pregnant women to get vaccinated, while the FDA is expected to authorize a booster shot for the immunocompromised as early as today. The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating as the U.S. embassy in Kabul urges Americans to leave immediately. Plus, nearly half of the ICU beds in Arkansas are filled with covid patients. And 90% of those cases are among the unvaccinated. We'll talk to a doctor who posted a heartbreaking video describing two covid cases in men in their 40s and 50s. CNN's John King hosts  On today's show: CNN's Melanie Zanona, Donie O'Sullivan, Julie Pace, Brittany Shepherd, Karoun Demirjian, Dr. Sonal Bhakta, MJ Lee, Barbara Starr To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The political debate — and theater — surrounding a new House committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And, why wildland firefighters in the West are burning out. Read more:A bipartisan select House committee begins its probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection this week. But as national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains, the investigation kicks off under a cloud of political debate and theater. On the heels of one of the worst wildfire years on record, the federal government is struggling to recruit and retain staffers as firefighters grapple with low wages, trauma and burnout from increasingly long and intense fire seasons. Sarah Kaplan reports on the Biden administration's promise to the federal firefighting force –– and what the United States has to understand about climate change and wildfires.

The Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Apple to obtain phone data belonging to Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee as part of a leak investigation. Now, Attorney General Lisa Monaco is asking the Justice Department’s Inspector General to investigate the handling of these subpoenas. Plus, a group of 10 bipartisan senators signal that they have reached a compromise on an infrastructure package -- but the proposal faces an uncertain future in both chambers of Congress. And, a Peach-state sized blow to Trump’s 2022 recruitment efforts. Sources tell CNN that the former president’s top recruit to primary Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has eyes for another job. On today’s show: CNN’s Abby Phillip, Jessica Schneider, Manu Raju, Evan Perez, Kaitlan Collins and Michael Warren; CNN Legal Analyst Carrie Cordero; Tarini Parti of The Wall Street Journal; Margaret Talev of Axios; and Karoun Demirjian of The Washington Post.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The House passed a bill to create an independent commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection, with 35 GOP votes. But Mitch McConnell is promising to block it in the Senate. Plus, how the latest Israel-Gaza conflict exposed new rifts in the Democratic Party. And, is the truth out there? An upcoming government report could shed light on UFOs. On today's roundtable: Politico's Rachael Bade, Vivian Salama of the Wall Street Journal, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post and CNN's Jeff Zeleny.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

President Biden’s agenda faces mounting hurdles in a hyper-partisan Congress. Plus, a Trump rally revival—the former president says he’ll be holding rallies in at least 4 battleground states, even as he faces both criminal and civil investigations. And Biden’s foreign policy faces tests on multiple fronts. On today’s show: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Jonathan Martin of the New York Times; Karoun Demirjian of The Washington Post; Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Chief Medical Officer of Verywell Health; Maggie Haberman of The New York Times; and Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haas.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Vox Senior Correspondent Zack Beauchamp joins Matt and Dara to discuss some of the potential political ramifications of the insurrection of 1/6/21, as well as what this event might portend for addressing questions of police reform. Resources: "Capitol police officer praised as hero for diverting mob from Senate chamber" by Randi Richardson, NBC News (Jan. 11, 2021) "I experienced the heinous assault on Capitol; now, time to face reality" op-ed by Rep. Peter Meijer, Detroit News (Jan. 9, 2021) "Outgoing Capitol Police chief: House, Senate security officials hamstrung efforts to call in National Guard" by Carol D. Loennig, Aaron C. Davis, Peter Hermann and Karoun Demirjian, Washington Post (Jan. 10, 2021) "Several Capitol police officers suspended, more than a dozen under investigation over actions related to rally, riot" by Aaron C. Davis, Rebecca Tan and Beth Reinhard, Washington Post (Jan. 11, 2021) "What the police really believe" by Zack Beauchamp, Vox (July 7, 2020) White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublica Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, Vox Credits: Erikk Geannikis, Editor and Producer. The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production. Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts About Vox Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow Us: Vox.com Facebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still using his billions to flood the airwaves, Michael Bloomberg is out with an ad to combat the blowback over stop and frisk. His 2020 rivals aren't letting up on the issue, which they see as a big vulnerability. And as Roger Stone awaits his sentence, CNN reports that federal prosecutors are considering additional charges against associates of President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Plus in Nevada, long lines for early voting and long days for presidential candidates. Today's panel: Olivier Knox with Sirius XM, the Wall Street Journal's Catherine Lucey and Josh Jamerson, and Karoun Demirjian with POLITICO. Also on the program: CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Ryan Nobles, Kara Scannell, and Sara Murray.

President Trump's post impeachment score settling rattles career prosecutors at the Justice Department, but gets mostly a shrug from Congressional Republicans. His former chief of staff says there is no one left at the White House who will challenge the President's rash behavior. Ahead of the Nevada caucuses: A new Spanish language ad from Pete Buttigieg, new immigration questions for Amy Klobuchar -- and a sharper tone as the Democratic campaign shifts west. And don't forget Michael Bloomberg. He isn't on the ballot in the first four contests. But he is spending heavily to boost his standing in the states that come later -- and he says there is clear proof he is the strongest Democratic contender. On Today's Panel: Julie Pace with Associated Press, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, and CNN's Abby Phillip Also on the program: CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny

Another boost for President Trump's re-election hopes: The economy keeps roaring in 2020 with 225,000 new jobs added last month. It's debate night in New Hampshire. The primary is Tuesday and the stakes are huge-especially for the candidates who underperformed in Iowa. And Iowa's Democratic party says it's finally done counting. But with questions lingering over the results, officials extend the deadline for candidates to challenge the caucuses. The two leaders, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, say it is time to move on. Today's panel: CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Karoun Demirjian and Toluse Olorunnipa with The Washington Post and Jackie Kucinich with The Daily Beast Also on the program: CNN's Ryan Nobles and Jeff Zeleny

After a bold U.S. strike, Iran backs down. President Trump sees a major victory - but finds himself facing a crisis of credibility over his constantly-shifting justification for it. Meanwhile, Iranians take to the streets en masse to protest their government's accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian airliner. Plus, the impeachment trial approaches, as Nancy Pelosi signals she's ready to name managers and submit the articles to the Senate. And three weeks from the first votes, Iowa is a tossup. Today's panel: Julie Pace of the Associated Press, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post, and Vivian Salama of the Wall Street Journal

Apache gun-ships in the skies and tear gas in the streets, as security forces fight back protesters attacking the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. And "D" is for dollar signs, as the top Democratic presidential contenders reveal who's feeling flush with cash after the fourth quarter. Plus, Chief Justice John Roberts warns America not to take democracy for granted. This comes as he prepares to preside over the President's impeachment trial. On todays Panel: CNN's Lauren Fox, Meridith McGraw with POLITICO, Katie Rogers with The New York Times and Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post On todays Program: CNN's Arwa Damon, Ryan Browne, Ryan Nobles, Alison Kosik, and Ariane de Vogue.

The impeachment impasse between Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell - with both sides digging in over what President Trump's Senate trial will look like, there are still no firm answers on what comes next. Plus - with five weeks left until the voting begins, will Bernie Sanders surprise us all? And the latest on the anti-Semitic stabbing attack at a Hanukkah party in a New York suburb. Phil Mattingly in the anchor chair. Today's panel: Catherine Lucey of the Wall Street Journal, Politico's Alex Thompson, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post, and McClatchy's Francesca Chambers.

The President says he wants his impeachment trial right away. But he will have to wait -- and exactly how long is unclear because of a standoff between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Plus, 76% of Americans feel confident about the state of the U.S. economy. That's a nearly 20-year high -- and it's good news for any President seeking re-election. And the leading 2020 Democrats stage their final 2019 debate. On today's show: Julie Pace with Associated Press, Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, Heather Caygle with POLITICO, and Asma Khalid with NPR. Plus reporting from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

House Democrats unveil two articles of impeachment charging President Trump with abusing his power and then obstructing Congress as it investigated whether he tried to get 2020 election help from Ukraine. President Trump attacks FBI Director Christopher Wray -- for telling the truth about the DOJ Inspector General's report on the Russia probe. And whiplash day in Washington. Speaker Nancy Pelosi plays a lead role in drafting impeachment articles, and in crafting a deal with the Trump White House on a major new trade agreement. Today's panel: CNN's Carrie Cordero, Jackie Kucinich with the Daily Beast, Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur, Carl Hulse with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal's Vivian Salama, and Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post

In sworn testimony, an ambassador points at Trump on the Ukraine quid pro quo and says, "We followed the president's orders." And the 2020 Democrats debate. Karoun Demirjian, Major Garrett and Jack Beatty join David Folkenflik.

Karoun Demirjian on what we’ve learned from the impeachment inquiry transcripts released this week. Maria Sacchetti on the role U.S. citizens play in immigration smuggling. And Rebecca Tan explains part of the new generation’s enthusiasm for cricket.

More transcripts of key testimony from House impeachment inquiry are about to be released - from two witnesses central to Ukraine policy. Also today: Two more Trump officials defy Congress and refuse to testify. Plus, either Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or a former top Pompeo aide is lying. The aide testified that he raised concerns about the treatment of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on several occasions. Secretary Pompeo says he did not. And it's election day! The races for Governor in Mississippi and Kentucky are being watched closely by both parties for important 2020 clues. Today's panel: CNN's Abby Phillip, Catherine Lucey with The Wall Street Journal, Lisa Lerer with The New York Times, and Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post Also on the program: CNN's Manu Raju, Phil Mattingly and Kylie Atwood

House investigators have released the first transcripts from closed-door depositions taken as part of the impeachment inquiry. On "Post Reports," Karoun Demirjian details what we’ve learned.

Blockbuster testimony in the impeachment inquiry: A top White House aide who was on the President's call with Ukraine's leader says he viewed it as so damaging to American interests he reported it to his superior and a White House lawyer. The President's response: He is attacking the character of the witness, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who won a purple heart for Iraq war heroism. And a brand new CNN New Hampshire poll releasing this hour: Bernie Sanders is up, and Joe Biden is struggling as Democratic voters in the leadoff primary state say health care is more of factor in their vote than beating President Trump. Today's Panel: Vivian Salama with The Wall Street Journal, Alex Thompson with POLITICO, Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, and CNN's Kaitlan Collins Also on the Program: CNN's Manu Raju

President Trump declares victory in Syria despite broad bipartisan condemnation of his decision to abandon the Kurds. He announces what he calls a "permanent" ceasefire and says some U.S. troops will remain behind. Plus, damning impeachment testimony and growing GOP worries: A veteran diplomat lays out evidence of a Ukraine quid pro quo, and says complaints about Rudy Giuliani's meddling - or damage to national security interests -- were brushed aside. And a new CNN poll shows a resilient Joe Biden atop the Democratic pack, with a healthy national lead. The former vice president is retracing his roots today in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to make the case he can win back blue collar voters and defeat President Trump. Today's Panel: CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, Michael Shear with The New York Times, Laura Barron Lopez with POLITICO, and Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post Also on the Program: CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Nick Paton Walsh, David Gergen and Phil Mattingly

The impeachment inquiry picks up steam, with a parade of key witnesses - and a stunning admission by the White House chief of staff. Plus, President Trump abandons a key ally in the Middle East and draws bipartisan storm - and cancels plans to host the G7 at his Florida resort after pushback from GOP allies. And Bernie Sanders draws a crowd in New York - and scores a big progressive endorsement. Today's Panel: CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Michael Shear of the New York Times, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post, and Politico's Laura Barrón-López.

Turkey launches its promised military assault against the Kurds in northern Syria. Leading Republicans accuse President Trump of abandoning a key U.S. ally and predict it will lead to an ISIS resurgence. Plus, House Democrats say the defiant White House refusal to cooperate will not slow their impeachment inquiry. And, new reporting on Rudy Giuliani's role in Ukraine amid allegations the President abused his power by trying to get Ukraine's President to help him with personal political vendettas. On today's panel: Seung Min Kim with The Washington Post, Melanie Zanona with POLITICO, Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, Margaret Talev with Axios, and CNN's Michael Warren Also on today's program: CNN's Manu Raju and Arwa Damon

Karoun Demirjian tracks how the White House has pushed back against impeachment. Anna Fifield explains a new phase in China’s forcible assimilation of its Uighur population. And Ben Guarino on the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Donald Trump. Ukraine. Joe Biden. A phone call. Election Interference. Impeachment! What the hell is going on? In this episode, an irritated Jen gives you the backstory that you need to know about the impeachment drama, including what the steps to impeachment are. Prepare yourself: Everyone devoted to the Republican or Democratic parties will be pissed off by this episode. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD167: Combating Russia NDAA CD102: The World Trade Organization: COOL? CD067: What do We Want in Ukraine CD068: Ukraine Aid Bill CD190: A Coup for Capitalism CD176: Target Venezuela Regime Change in Progress Articles/Documents Article: Pelosi, Trump may reach trade deal despite impeachment by Niv Elis, The Hill, October 3, 2019 Article: This 2016 letter proves that GOP attacks on Biden over Ukraine are nonsense by Alex Ward, Vox, October 3, 2019 Article: Civilian Deaths in U.S. Wars Are Skyrocketing Under Trump. It May Not Be Impeachable, but It’s a Crime. by Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, October 2, 2019 Article: Hunter Biden, the black sheep who might accidentally bring down Trump, explained by Matthew Yglesias, Vox, October 1, 2019 Article: Shoot Migrants’ Legs, Build Alligator Moat: Behind Trump’s Ideas for Border by Michael D. Shear and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, The New York Times, October 1, 2019 Article: Impeachment inquiry erupts into battle between executive, legislative branches By Karen DeYoung, Josh Dawsey, Karoun Demirjian and John Hudson, The Washington Post, October 1, 2019 Article: McConnell says if House impeaches Trump, Senate rules would force him to start a trial by Seung Min Kim, The Washington Post, September 30, 2019 Article: Trump claim on stalled aid for Ukraine draws new scrutiny by Robert Burns, Lolita Baldor, and Andrew Taylor, The Associated Press, MilitaryTimes, September 30, 2019 Article: Hunter Biden: The Most Comprehensive Timeline by Jim Geraghty, National Review, September 30, 2019 Article: The gas tycoon and the vice president’s son: The story of Hunter Biden’s foray into Ukraine by Paul Sonne, Michael Kranish and Matt Viser, The Washington Post, September 28, 2019 Article: The gas tycoon and the vice president’s son: The story of Hunter Biden’s foray into Ukraine by Paul Sonne, Michael Kranish and Matt Viser, The Washington Post, September 28, 2019 Article: Piety and Power by Tom LoBianco, The New York Times, September 27, 2019 Article: White House Knew of Whistle-Blower’s Allegations Soon After Trump’s Call With Ukraine Leader by Julian E. Barnes, Michael S. Schmidt, Adam Goldman and Katie Benner, The New York Times, September 26, 2019 Article: Democrats, Please Don’t Mess This Up. Impeach Trump for All His Crimes, Not Just for Ukraine. by Mehdi Hasan, The Intercept, September 26, 2019 Document: S. 2583 [Report No. 116-126], September 26, 2019, Pg 144 Article: Here’s what you need to know about the US aid package to Ukraine that Trump delayed by Joe Gould and Howard Altman, Defense News, September 25, 2019 Article: Read the record of Trump’s controversial call to Ukraine’s president Zelensky by Ephrat Livni, Quartz, September 25, 2019 Article: How the Impeachment Process Works by Charlie Savage, The New York Times, September 24, 2019 Article: Trump ordered hold on military aid days before calling Ukrainian president, officials say By Karoun Demirjian, Josh Dawsey, Ellen Nakashima and Carol D. Leonnig, The Washington Post, September 23, 2019 Article: Ukraine military aid extension passes US House after White House delay by Joe Gould, Defense News, September 19, 2019 Article: US State Department clears Ukraine security assistance funding. Is the Pentagon next? by Aaron Mehta, Defense News, September 12, 2019 Document: S. 2474: Defense Appropriations Act, September 12, 2019, Pg 305 Document: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2020, September 12, 2019, Pg 148 Letter: For Chairman Burr and Chairman Schiff August 12, 2019 Article: Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father’s Campaign? by Adam Entous, The New Yorker, July 1, 2019 Article: What Powers Does a Formal Impeachment Inquiry Give the House? by Molly E. Reynolds, Margaret Taylor, Lawfare, May 21, 2019 Article: U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is recalled after becoming a political target by Josh Rogin, The Washington Post, May 7, 2019 Article: Timeline in Ukraine Probe Casts Doubt on Giuliani’s Biden Claim by Stephanie Baker and Daryna Krasnolutska, Bloomberg, May 7, 2019 Article: How does impeachment work? Here is the step-by-step process by Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, AJC, April 22, 2019 Article: Trump’s feud with Jerry Nadler rooted in decades-old New York real estate project by Rachael Bade and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post, April 8, 2019 Article: Joe Biden's 2020 Ukrainian nightmare: A closed probe is revived by John Solomon, The Hill, April 1, 2019 Article: Senior Ukrainian official says he's opened probe into US election interference The Hill, March 20, 2019 Article: Top Ukrainian justice official says US ambassador gave him a do not prosecute list The Hill, March 20, 2019 Document: 2019 Funding Report, February 13, 2019 Article: The Danger of President Pence by Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, October 16, 2017 Article: Joe Biden, His Son and the Case Against a Ukrainian Oligarch by James Risen, The New York Times, December 8, 2015 Additional Resources Document: H.R. Full Committee Print, Department of State Appropriations Document: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2020, Pg 100 Prepared Remarks: Prepared Remarks by Senator John McCain on America’s Role in Europe’s East, Atlantic Council, December 19, 2013 Sound Clip Sources Interview with Mitch McConnell:, CNBC, September 30, 2019 Speakers: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Transcript: Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY): Yeah, it's a, it's a Senate rule related to impeachment that would take 67 votes to change. So I would have no choice but to take it up. How long you're on it is a whole different matter, but I would have no choice but to take it up. President Trump Meeting with Ukrainian President, C-SPAN, 74th U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York City, September 25, 2019 Speakers: Donald J. Trump President Zelensky Transcript: 1:45 Volodymyr Zelensky: It’s a great pleasure to me to be here, and it’s better to be on TV than by phone. 3:30 Volodymyr Zelensky: My priority to stop the war on Donbass and to get back our territories, –- thank you for your support in this case, thank you very much. 6:40 Volodymyr Zelensky: And to know when, I want world to know that now we have the new team, the new parliament, the new government. So now we – about 74 laws, new laws, which help for our new reforms, land reform, -- law about concessions, that we – general – and we launched the – secretary, and anti-corruption court. As we came, we launched the anti-corruption court, it began to work on the 5th of September. It was, you know, it was, after five days we had the new – So we are ready, we want to show that we just come, and if somebody, if you, you want to help us, so just let’s do business cases. We have many investment cases, we’re ready. 12:00 Reporter: Do you believe that the emaiIs from Hillary Clinton, do you believe that they are in Ukraine? Do you think this whole -- President Trump: I think they could be. You mean the 30,000 that she deleted? Reporter: Yes. President Trump: Yeah, I think they could very well, boy that was a nice question. I like, that's why, because frankly, I think that one of the great crimes committed is Hillary Clinton deleted 33,000 emails after Congress sends her a subpoena. Think of that. You can't even do that in a civil case. You can't get rid of evidence like that. She deleted 33,000 emails after, not before, after receiving the subpoena from the U.S. Congress. 16:00 Translator for Volodymyr Zelensky: During the investigation, actually, I want to underscore that Ukraine is an independent country. We have a new –- in Ukraine, a hired, professional man with a western education and history, to investigate any case he considers and deems -- Speaker Pelosi Announcement of Impeachment Inquiry, C-SPAN, September 24, 2019 Speakers: Nancy Pelosi 0:40 Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA): Shortly thereafter, press reports began to break of a phone call by the President of the United States calling upon a foreign power to intervene in his election. 4:30 Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA): And this week, the President has admitted to asking the President of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically. The action of the Trump, the actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable fact of the President's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections. Therefore, today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. I'm directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry. The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) talks with CNN's Erin Burnett, CNN, August 8, 2019 Speakers: Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) Transcript: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY): This is formal impeachment proceedings. We are investigating all the evidence, we are gathering the evidence, and we will at the conclusion of this, hopefully by the end of the year, vote to, vote articles of impeachment to the House floor, or we won't. That's a decision that we'll have to make, but that, but that's exactly the process we're in right now. Council of Foreign Relations: Foreign Affairs Issue Launch with Former Vice President Joe Biden, Tuesday, January 23, 2018 Speakers: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Michael R. Carpenter Presider, Richard N. Haass Transcript: 6:00* Joe Biden: I think there's a basic decision that they cannot compete against a unified West. And I think that is Putin's judgment. And so everything he can do to dismantle the post world war two liberal world order, including NATO and the EU, I think is viewed as they're in their immediate self-interest. 52:00 Joe Biden: I’ll give you one concrete example. I was—not I, it just happened to be that was the assignment I got. I got all the good ones. And so I got Ukraine. And I remember going over, convincing our team and our leaders, that we should be providing for loan guarantees. And I went over, I guess, the 12th, 13th time to Kiev. I was supposed to announce that there was another billion-dollar loan guarantee. And I had gotten a commitment from Poroshenko and from Yatsenyuk that they would take action against the state prosecutor, and they didn’t. So they said they were walking out to a press conference. I said, nah, I’m not going to—or, we’re not going to give you the billion dollars. They said, you have no authority. You’re not the president. The president said—I said, call him. (Laughter.) I said, I’m telling you, you’re not getting the billion dollars. I said, you’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. (Laughter) He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time. 54:00 Joe Biden: But always worked in Kiev because, as I said, look, it's simple proposition. If in fact you do not continue to show progress in terms of corruption, we are not going to be able to hold the rest of Europe on these sanctions and Russia is not going to roll across the inner line here and take over the rest of the country with their tanks. What they're going to do is they're going to take your economy down. You're going to be absolutely buried and you're going to be done, and that's when it all goes to hell. 56:00 Joe Biden: It's a very difficult spot to be in now, when foreign leaders call me, and they do, because I never, ever, ever would say anything negative to a foreign leader, and I mean this sincerely, about a sitting president, no matter how fundamentally I disagree with them. And it is not my role, not my role to make foreign policy. But the questions across the board range from, what the hell is going on, Joe, to what advice do you have for me? And my advice always is to, I give them names of individuals in the administration who I think to be knowledgeable and, and, and, and, and committed, and I say, you should talk to so and so. You should, and what I do, and every one of those times, I first call the vice president and tell him I received the call, tell him, and ask him whether he has any objection to my returning the call. And then what is the administration's position, if any, they want me to communicate to that country. Interview, ABC News, March 30, 2015 Speakers: Mike Pence George Stephanopoulos 8:00 George Stephanopoulos: One fix that people have talked about is simply adding sexual orientation as a protected class under the state civil rights laws. Will you push for that? Mike Pence: I will not push for that. That's not on my agenda. And that's not been an objective of the people of the state of Indiana. Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call, BBC News, February 7, 2014 Speakers: Victoria Nuland Geoffrey Pyatt Watch on YouTube Victoria Nuland: Good. So, I don’t think Klitsch should go into the government. I don’t think it’s necessary, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Geoffrey Pyatt: Yeah, I mean, I guess. In terms of him not going into the government, just let him sort of stay out and do his political homework and stuff. I’m just thinking in terms of sort of the process moving ahead, we want to keep the moderate Democrats together. The problem is going to be Tyahnybok and his guys, and I’m sure that’s part of what Yanukovych is calculating on all of this. I kind of— Victoria Nuland: I think Yats is the guy who’s got the economic experience, the governing experience. What he needs is Klitsch and Tyahnybok on the outside. He needs to be talking to them four times a week, you know? I just think Klitsch going in—he’s going to be at that level working for Yatsenyuk; it’s just not going to work. Victoria Nuland: So, on that piece, Geoff, when I wrote the note, Sullivan’s come back to me VFR, saying, you need Biden, and I said, probably tomorrow for an “atta-boy” and to get the deets to stick. Geoffrey Pyatt: Okay. Victoria Nuland: So, Biden’s willing. Geoffrey Pyatt: Okay, great. Thanks. Senator John McCain on Ukraine, C-SPAN, Atlantic Council of the U.S., December 13, 2013 Speakers: John S. McCain III Watch on YouTube Transcript: 16:45 Sen. John McCain: Finally, we must encourage the European Union and the IMF to keep their doors open to Ukraine. Ultimately, the support of both institutions is indispensible for Ukraine's future. And eventually, a Ukrainian President, either this one or a future one, will be prepared to accept the fundamental choice facing the country, which is this: While there are real short-term costs to the political and economic reforms required for IMF assistance and EU integration, and while President Putin will likely add to these costs by retaliating against Ukraine's economy, the long-term benefits for Ukraine in taking these tough steps are far greater and almost limitless. This decision cannot be borne by one person alone in Ukraine. Nor should it be. It must be shared—both the risks and the rewards—by all Ukrainians, especially the opposition and business elite. It must also be shared by the EU, the IMF and the United States. All of us in the West should be prepared to help Ukraine, financially and otherwise, to overcome the short-term pain that reforms will require and Russia may inflict. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)  

The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says President Trump "betrayed his oath of office and sacrificed our national security" after the White House releases a rough transcript of his July 25th conversation with the president of Ukraine. We break down all the aftermath with our panel: CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Nia-Malika Henderson, Karoun Demirjian with the Washington Post, and Margaret Talev with Axios. Also on today's show: CNN's Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, Manu Raju, and CNN Legal Analyst Michael Zeldin.

House Democrats are about to hold what some call their first impeachment hearing. And the White House is defiant, telling two former presidential aides not to show up -- and a third Trump adviser not to answer certain questions. Plus, Elizabeth Warren takes aim at Joe Biden and the electability argument. And then she takes 4,000 selfies. And President Trump's numbers among Latino voters are horrible, but he insists he can stretch the map again in 2020 -- and win New Mexico. Today's Panel: CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, Olivier Knox with SiriusXM, Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, and Margaret Talev with Axios Also on the Program: CNN's Manu Raju, MJ Lee, and Oren Liebermann

It is debate night for the 2020 Democrats, the first time Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren share the same stage, and perhaps a last chance for some of the struggling contenders to prove to voters and donors they deserve to stick around. Plus, a big Supreme Court immigration win for the Trump White House. The justices allow the President's tough new asylum rules to be enforced while a legal challenge makes it way through the lower courts. And words matter. Except maybe when it comes to House Democrats. Do they have a formal impeachment investigation or just a lower level inquiry to determine whether to move to an impeachment investigation? It depends on who and how you ask. Today's panel: CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Franco Ordoñez with NPR, CNN's Arlette Saenz , Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post, CNN's Joan Biskupic and CNN's Sara Murray. Also on the program: CNN's Jeff Zeleny, NPR's Asma Khalid, CNN's Manu Raju, and CNN's Christine Romans

Joe Biden is back on the trail in Iowa today as a new CNN poll shows him widening his national lead in the Democratic race. Electability is Biden's theme in his first campaign TV ad -- and Jill Biden offers a rather unusual endorsement. Plus, the scramble to make the next Democratic debate. Julian Castro is in -- and a few Democrats who are close are racing against the clock to qualify. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo making news today on China and ISIS. Plus offering his take on a New Yorker profile that calls him the "Secretary of Trump." Today's panel: Karoun Demirjian and Toluse Olorunnipa with The Washington Post, Laura Barron Lopez with POLITICO and Tamara Keith with NPR Also on the program: CNN's Arlette Saenz, Sara Murray and Kylie Atwood.

The Trump Administration imposes dramatic new limits on legal immigration. The new rules make it easier to reject green card and visa applications from low-income people on grounds they could end up on public assistance. Plus, a big Iowa weekend for the 2020 Democrats. Joe Biden raises questions with another gaffe, Elizabeth Warren proves her organizing prowess - and Kamala Harris is on a bus tour to make clear she plans to make a play in the state that votes first. And from friend to foe in a reality TV minute: Former White House insider Anthony Scaramucci says he can no longer support President Trump because of his racially charged rhetoric -- and "The Mooch" says Republicans should make a change for 2020. Today's Panel: Julie Pace with the Associated Press, Shawna Thomas with Vice News, Josh Jamerson with The Wall Street Journal and Karoun Demirjian with The Washington Post Also on the Program: CNN's Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, Priscilla Alvarez and Manu Raju

Karoun Demirjian paints a grim picture of election security. Sam Schmidt on the 2020 Democrats flaunting Spanish skills — and the Latino candidate who isn’t. Plus, Marina Lopes explains Brazil’s C-section parties.

Josh Dawsey and Karoun Demirjian report on Washington’s response to Attorney General William P. Barr’s summary of Robert S. Mueller III's Russia investigation. And Jeff Stein on Puerto Rico’s loss of food stamp funding.

With congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian, we look at how Capitol Hill's investigations work, how the Democrats are trying to hone their oversight strategy and which lines of inquiry might have significant consequences for the president.

Carolyn Y. Johnson on the second patient who may be cured of HIV, and Karoun Demirjian on the Democrats’ post-Cohen strategy. Plus, Avi Selk on a Harvard professor who believes in aliens.

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer and personal attorney, appeared before a congressional committee today. Post reporters Karoun Demirjian, Rosalind S. Helderman, David Fahrenthold and Aaron Blake guide us through his testimony.

Divided government! The 2018 midterm elections are over and we know what the 116th Congress is going to look like: The Republican Party will continue to control the Senate and the Democratic Party will control the House of Representatives. In this episode, we discuss the likely ramifications of a divided Congress, some of the interesting results of individual Congressional races, and the opportunities available for Republicans to get their last wishes rammed into law before their complete Congressional control ends in January. Please Support Congressional Dish - Quick Links Click here to contribute a lump sum or set up a monthly contribution via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North Number 4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Episodes CD179: Hearing: Who's Tracking the Immigrant Kids? CD166: I Spy a Shutdown CD149: Fossil Fuel Foxes CD143: Trump's Law Enforcers CD089: Secrets of the CRomnibus (2015 Budget) CD087: Run for Congress with Chris Clemmons Additional Reading Article: Trump's appointment of the acting Attorney General is unconstitutional by Neal K. Katyal and George T. Conway III, The New York Times, November 8, 2018. Article: DoD is sending 7,000 troops to the border. Here's every unit going. by Tara Copp, Military Times, November 8, 2018. Article: It's not over: Days after election, these races are still undecided by Brian Naylor, NPR, November 8, 2018. Article: Rep. Duncan Hunter keeps seat despite charges by Julie Watson, WBTV, November 8, 2018. Article: Trump warns Dems over potential investigations: 'Two can play that game!' by Brett Samuels, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: Top Dems quickly announce leadership intentions by Mike Lillis, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: Nevada voters approve automatic voter registration by Aris Folley, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: Connecticut elects first black congresswoman by Jessie Hellmann, The Hill, November 11, 2018. Article: Jeff Sessions pushed out after a year of attacks from Trump by Erick Tucker and Michael Balsamo, AP News, November 7, 2018. Article: Ayanna Pressley officially Massachusetts' 1st black congresswoman by William J. Kole, Boston Globe, November 7, 2018. Article: Don Young holds on to House seat in Alaska by Miranda Green, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter wins reelection despite criminal charges by Juliegrace Brufke, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: Florida U.S. Senate race between Rick Scott, Bill Nelson could be heading for recount by Mark Skoneki, Steven Lemongello, and Gray Rohrer, The Orlando Sentinel, November 7, 2018. Article: Democrat Colin Allred grabs Dallas-area U.S. House seat from GOP's Pete Sessions by Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, November 7, 2018. Article: The investigations Trump will face now that Democrats control the House by Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, November 7, 2018. Article: With midterms over, lame-duck congress now turns to avoiding a shutdown by Eric Katz, Government Executive, November 7, 2018. Article: Next chairman of Ways and Means Committee plans to demand Trump's tax return by Justin Wise, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: The private business of for-profit prisons in the US by AYŞE NUR DOK, TRT World, November 7, 2018. Article: Newly empowered, House Democrats plan to launch immediate investigations of Trump, but leaders are wary of impeachment by Karoun Demirjian, Tom Hamburger, and Gabriel Pogrund, The Washington Post, November 7, 2018. Article: Top Judiciary Dem: Trump is about to 'learn he's not above the law' by Aris Folley, The Hill, November 7, 2018. Article: GOP Rep. Chris Collins, charged with insider trading, is projected to win re-election in New York by Dan Mangan, CNBC, November 7, 2018. Article: Former NFL players Anthony Gonzalez, Colin Allred elected to Congress by Curtis Crabtree, NBC Sports, November 6, 2018. Article: Cramer ousts Heitkamp in critical North Dakota Senate race by Max Greenwood, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Blackburn keeps Tennessee seat in GOP hands by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Dem Lauren Underwood unseats Randy Hultgren in Illinois by Brett Samuels, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Hawley defeats McCaskill in tight Missouri Senate race by Jordain Carney, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Pence's brother wins Indiana House race by Megan Keller, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: GOP Rep. Chris Collins wins reelection in NY despite insider trading charges by Michael Burke, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Dem Colin Allredy topples Sessions in key Texas House seat by Lisa Hagen, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Graham lauds GOP Senate Results: 'Conservative judicial train is going to keep running!' by Megan Keller, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Coffman loses GOP seat in Colorado by Mike Lillis, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Mitt Romney wins Senate race in Utah by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Rashida Tlaib becomes first Palestinian-American woman to win congressional seat by Emily Birnbaum, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Haaland becomes one of first Native American women elected to Congress by Morgan Gstalter, The Hill, November 6, 2018. Article: Sharice Davids makes history: Kansas' 1st gay rep, 1st Native American woman in Congress by Bryan Lowry and Katy Bergen, The Kansas City Star, November 6, 2018. Article: Ryan Zinke and the murky interior of Trumpworld by Timothy L. O'Brien, Bloomberg, November 1, 2018. Article: Sources: Justice Department investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke by Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, Lauren Fox, and Gregory Wallace, CNN Politics, October 31, 2018. Article: Probe of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke sent to U.S. prosecutors by Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg, October 30, 2018. Article: Lieu vows aggressive investigations of Trump if Dems retake House by Julia Manchester, The Hill, October 29, 2018. Blog: Budget reconciliation is the key to building the border wall by Rep. Bradley Byrne, The Hill, October 17, 2018. Article: $35M private immigration detention center proposted for Ionia by Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, October 16, 2018. Article: House will investigate Trump's attacks on democracy if Dems win, Cummings says by Julia Manchester, The Hill, October 1, 2018. Article: Ryan Zinke to the oil and gas industry: "Our government should work for you" by Umair Irfan, Vox, September 22, 2018. Article: Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife indicted in use of campaign funds for personal expenses by Laura Jarrett and Maeve Reston, CNN Politics, August 21, 2018. Article: Why Rep. Chris Collins's insider trading arrest is a huge deal - and also totally unsurprising by Tara Golshan, Vox, August 9, 2018. Article: 2 Texas congressman bought shares in drug firm at heart of Rep. Chris Collins' insider trading case by Rachel Cohrs, Dallas News, August 9, 2018. Article: This company is at the center of insider trading charges against Rep. Collins by Katherine Ross, The Street, August 9, 2018. Article: Rep. Chris Collins charged with insider trading, federal prosecutors announce by Renae Merle and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post, August 8, 2018. Article: Indicted Rep. Chris Collins shows why members of Congress should not trade stocks by Josh Barro, Business Insider, August 8, 2018. Article: Scandals pile up for interior chief Ryan Zinke by Chris D'Angelo, Huffpost, July 23, 2018. Article: Interior watchdog opens probe of land deal linking Zinke, Halliburton chairman by Ben Lefebvre, Politico, July 18, 2018. Article: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's conduct attracts unprecedented scrutiny from government investigators by Greg Zimmerman, Medium, June 5, 2018. Article: A timeline of scandals and ethical shortfalls at Ryan Zinke's Interior Department by Evlondo Cooper and Ted MacDonald, Media Matters for America, May 7, 2018. Article: Profiting from enforcement: The role of private prisons in U.S. immigration detention by Livia Luan, Migration Policy Institute, May 2, 2018. Article: Liberal watchdog group sues Trump, alleging he violated constitutional ban by David A. Fahrenthold and Jonathan O'Connell, The Washington Post, January 23, 2017. Article: GOP congressman, overwhelmed by constituents concerned about ACA repeal, sneaks out of event early by Mark Joseph Stern, Slate, January 15, 2017. Article: Congressman defends 'Citibank' provision in spending bill by Jim Acosta, CNN Politics, December 16, 2014. Article: Wall Street's omnibus triumph, and others by Russ Choma, Open Secrets News, December 12, 2014. Article: Why Citi may soon regret its big victory on Capitol Hill by Rob Blackwell, American Banker, December 11, 2014. Article: How Wall St. got its way by Dave Clarke, Kate Davidson, and Jon Prior, Politico, December 11, 2014. Resources ACLU Talking Points: 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Bill Overview: H.R. 992 (113th): Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act Live News: CNN Election Night in the US Company Announcement: BAKKEN Binding Expansion Open Season, Energy Transfer Letter: Resignation Letter of Jeff Sessions OpenSecrets: Rep. Kevin Cramer - North Dakota District 1 OpenSecrets: Rep. Kevin Yoder, Kansas District 03 Wikipedia: Chris Collins (American Politician) Visual Resources Sound Clip Sources Interview: Schiff responds to threat from President Trump, CNN Politics, November 8, 2018. News Conference: Minority Leader Pelosi on 2018 Election Results, C-SPAN, November 7, 2018. 19:30 Representative Nancy Pelosi: In any event, next week we look forward to welcoming our new class of freshmen. We will celebrate their diversity, the freshness of their thinking, and the rest. And they will immediately be incorporated into our building consensus and how we go forward in a very open, transparent, bipartisan, unifying Congress. Any questions? 21:10 Representative Nancy Pelosi: In appropriations and in many of the other committee—all of the other committees—we have a responsibility for oversight. And, hopefully, in the course of asking for information, we can just make the request and the information will come in. We’re concerned about what’s happening at EPA, for example, to degrading the air we breathe and the water we drink despite what the president said today. So, that’s only one example. 27:30 Unknown Speaker: Follow up on what the president said this morning. He made clear that if Democrats launch investigations, that any hopes for bipartisanship is off. Do you have any concerns that these investigations could jeopardize your opportunities to legislate? Representative Nancy Pelosi: We do not intend to abandon or relinquish our responsibility as Article I, the first branch of government, and our responsibilities for accountability, for oversight, and the rest. This doesn’t mean we go looking for a fight, but it means that if we see a need to go forward, we will. But that will be the work of our committees. Every committee has oversight responsibility. Congresswoman Eshoo’s on Energy and Commerce, and that’s a big oversight committee, as some of you probably are aware. But, specifically, to some of the concerns that the president may have, the Judiciary Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the Oversight Committee, the—well, there’re a number of committees that—depending on how we go down that path—the Financial Services committee, did I say Intelligence? Oh, Homeland Security Committee, because, of course, we are shamed as a nation by a policy that takes babies out of the arms of their mothers, that builds tents, and all the rest to house people, and there’s separation of families. So we want to look into that, and we would hope that we can do so by simply having oversight. If, in fact, requires a subpoena—I hope not, but—so be it. News Conference: President Trump on 2018 Election Results, C-SPAN, November 7, 2018. 23:00 President Donald Trump: Their whole agenda has been to try not giving me anything for the wall. I really believe politically they’re hurting themselves. I actually think politically that’s a good thing for me, but I want to get the wall up because we need to— Unknown Speaker: So no shut-down scenario— President Trump: I don’t know. I can’t tell you that. Unknown Speaker: —for the, for the mid, for the lame duck. President Trump: No, I can’t commit to that, but it’s possible. News Conference: Democrat Richard Neal says he plans to seek Trump tax returns, APNews, YouTube, November 7, 2018. Hearing: Unaccompanied Immigrant Children, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, C-SPAN, August 16, 2018. 1:14:30 Senator Claire McCaskill: This is about the fourth or fifth time I’ve been on this dais, and no one seems to be worried about the fact that you all get to wash your hands of these children. You want to talk about catch and release? You’re catching these children and then you’re releasing them and everyone goes like this. Not my problem. I think the thing that really stuck out to me in the report that the committee issued was the finding—and this was finding number 14—HHS has a plan to notify state governments before placing unaccompanied children previously held in secure facilities, but HHS has failed to implement that plan. HHS explained it cannot implement the plan because it cannot determine who to notify in state government. Well, let me just tell you, Commander, I will make an offer to you today: I think my staff can get you a list of agencies and phone numbers before close of business tomorrow. Would that be helpful? Commander Jonathan White: I’ll be glad to convey that, but I think it does address—I think there are very real questions, but— Sen. McCaskill: No, they’re not. White: —widely appro— Sen. McCaskill: No. They’re not. Every state has a child-welfare agency. In Missouri, it’s the Missouri Department of Social Services, the Children’s Division, and they’re responsible for foster care, for child placement, for monitoring child detention centers, they are responsible for the welfare of children who have been separated from their families. And they have contacts in every corner of my state. There’s a hotline that they administer. There is all kinds of ways that they can communicate with school systems, with local governments, with all the people that are working as foster parents. There is a huge network in every single state, because you know what the states do? They take the responsibility for having children in their care seriously. 1:54:30 Senator Heidi Heitkamp: One facility provider basically, if my rough math is right, 11,000 children have been assigned to Southwest Key over a number of facilities, not one facility, but they’re obviously a large provider. The reports coming out of Dallas say that they basically, in a half-year period, have a contract that’s worth a half a billion dollars that they’re being paid, which, if you do the rough math, that’s about $45,000 per child. I think that we should have some pretty high expectations at $45,000 per child. So I would love a list of all the contractors that you currently have, the number of complaints, and the severity of the complaints, in each one of those cases, what disciplinary action has been, and how you’re cooperating consistently with state authorities, who usually are the licensing authorities, and I understand that. Audio Recording: Nunes on secret tape: Kavanaugh vote, then Rosenstein impeachment, MSNBC, July 30, 2018. Hearing: Wartime Contracting, Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee, C-SPAN, July 16,2013. 3:30 Senator Claire McCaskill: I learned just this week that the Defense Department spent millions to construct a building in Afghanistan that has never been used. This facility was built despite the fact that the forward commander said they neither needed nor wanted this facility, in May 2010, almost a full year before construction began. We now have a brand-new state-of-the-art building that cost the taxpayers 34 million to build. The worst part is that all indications are, we’re going to tear it down. We can’t even give it away to the Afghanistan government for free because they don’t want a building that they will have to spend millions to rewire because it was built to U.S. electrical code. I also recently learned that more than 13 million may have been wasted on a USAID agricultural development contract with a company called Chemonics. The waste alone is bad enough, but the Special Inspector General also found that the contractor failed to cooperate with the audit. Frankly, that’s just unacceptable. Hearing: Wartime Contracting, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, C-SPAN, September 21, 2011. 46:30 Senator Claire McCaskill: I want to talk about something that I mentioned—and you mentioned in your report, but I think it’s something we need to flesh out for this committee—and that’s contractors being subject to the jurisdiction of the United States of America. Heartbreaking incident in Iraq, that I'm sure you all are aware of, where the negligence of one of our contractors killed one of our soldiers. And in trying to find justice for that family, the contractor avoided the jurisdiction of the United States, and the most insulting thing about it was he then got another—that company then got another contract with our government. After they had used the fact that they were not subject to the jurisdiction of our country as a way to avoid justice for this man’s family, we then decided we should sign up again with them. Community Suggestions Super Typhoon Yutu Relief Campaign See more Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)