Podcast appearances and mentions of ken vogel

Money in politics isn't new, but billionaire influence in our elections has reached staggering levels – and 2024 could break all previous election spending records. From the presidential race to down ballot elections and think tanks to media empires, wealthy donors are reshaping American democracy in ways voters rarely see. Joining us to follow the money trail are New York Times reporters Teddy Schleifer and Ken Vogel, who help us explore how the ultra-wealthy leverage their resources across the political landscape and what they expect in return. Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:  > YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast > Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast > TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast  > X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart Executive Producer – James Dixon Executive Producer – Chris McShane Executive Producer – Caity Gray Lead Producer – Lauren Walker Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic Video Editor & Engineer – Sam Reid Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce Researcher & Associate Producer – Gillian Spear Music by Hansdle Hsu — This podcast is brought to you by: ZipRecruiter Try it for free at this exclusive web address: ziprecruiter.com/ZipWeekly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, it's Liz Dye, and we've got some big, exciting changes coming your way next week. It's all still in process, but I can tell you now that we'll be shifting our podcast drops from Monday/Friday to Tuesday/Friday and ramping up the written content, as well. So, heads up, the next show will be in your feed Tuesday, not Monday.    But today, I'm so excited to talk to a personal hero of mine, Marcy Wheeler. This woman is relentless! If you want to understand what's going on with the Biden prosecution, you have got to read her site emptywheel.net. But before we get into the show I think we need to spend a bit of time discussing the cast of characters and timeline here, because if you're not up to your eyeballs in it all the time, the details can get a little fuzzy. And I'm going to put the text of this intro in the show notes with a million links, for you to follow along if you like. So, here goes.   President Biden's son Hunter has battled addiction for much of his adult life. He's also done some questionable things to earn money to support his family. Those things generally fall under the category of distasteful but legal, not to say quotidian. It's a dirty, little NOT AT ALL secret that DC runs on access, and family members routinely market themselves as conduits to their powerful relatives. E.g., Ginni Thomas, who is nutty as a fruitcake, and collects hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from people with a stake in shaping the Supreme Court.   In 2019, as Biden was emerging as a candidate to take on Trump, the Republican smear machine was looking for dirt. And so they turned to the same dirt merchants that managed to muddy up Hillary Clinton. Clinton was dogged for years with allegations that she'd “sold America's uranium stockpiles to Russia” to benefit a donor to the Clinton Global Initiative. That story was ridiculous — she was Secretary of State at a time when the State Dept was one of eight agencies that had to approve the sale of a mining company called Uranium One to a Russian conglomerate. And the supposed CGI donor who would have benefited, had sold his shares before the deal was approved. But that didn't matter to Peter Schweizer, a Breitbart editor and Steve Bannon ally who wrote a book called “Clinton Cash” and laundered this nonsense into the collective consciousness. And in 2018, he did the same thing with Joe Biden.    As VP, Biden had made a speech in 2015 pressing the Ukrainian government to fire a corrupt prosecutor named Viktor Shokin. It was the consensus of the entire US government, as well as the entire international establishment, that Shokin had to go if Ukraine was ever going to get its house in order. Nevertheless, Schweizer wrote a book called “Secret Empires” in which he alleged that Biden was unilaterally forcing out this prosecutor to protect a Ukrainian oil company called Burisma which employed his son as a board member. I wrote about it at the time as Ukranium One. And if you hear me shittalking NYT reporter Ken Vogel, that's why. Because when Rudy Giuliani started flogging this nonsense about Burisma, Vogel treated it as if it might be true. And it was very clearly NEVER true. It was Uranium One all over again, and it's been the same shit for five years now. And when Trump pressured Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “do us a favor though,” this is what he wanted. He wanted the Ukrainian government to say it was investigating this bullshit as if it were real.   So in 2019 Rudy Giuliani waddled off to Ukraine in search of proof of this concocted story, where he got fed Russian propaganda by a Russian spy named Andrey Derkach, who was later sanctioned by Trump's own Treasury Department for using that Russian propaganda to influence the 2020 election. But Trump didn't give a shit about that, and neither did Bill Barr, they set up Scott Brady, the US Attorney in Pittsburgh, as Rudy's personal disinformation concierge to go chasing down his lies about Joe and Hunter Biden. Remember, Rudy was alleging that Joe and Hunter Biden had smuggled literally hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country. It was just utter nonsense. This investigation was tainted from the jump.   Brady was the one who kicked up Alexander Smirnov, the FBI informant who suddenly remembered in 2020 that Burisma executives had bragged to him in 2017 about bribing Joe and Hunter Biden. This was an obvious lie, for a whole bunch of reasons, but in 2023, Republicans in Congress get wind of it, and they decide that they've finally found the one true witness who will make all of Rudy's lies about Joe Biden true. Instead Smirnov was indicted earlier this year for lying to the FBI.   Barr also tapped a second US Attorney, David Weiss, in Delaware, to investigate Hunter Biden with the unstated goal of trying to dirty up Joe Biden. Weiss was largely focused on Biden's failure to pay taxes in 2018 and 2019 when he was in the throes of addiction. He also investigated Biden for having lied on a gun application where he checked the box that said “I swear I'm not a drug addict.”   At the same time, there was a legally blind computer repair dude in Delaware named John Paul Mac Isaac who claimed to have Hunter Biden's laptop. He says that Biden abandoned three devices in his store and never came back for them, and so Mac Isaac had a right to open up them up and look at what was inside. And because Biden's phones were autosaving to his hard drive, it was basically his whole sad and sordid life. Pictures of his brother Beau dying of cancer. Pictures of Hunter descending into addiction. Pictures of Hunter doing drugs and having sex. Plus every text and email and bank statement he'd sent for years. And Mac Isaac turned the thing over to Rudy Giuliani and his lawyer Robert Costello, who tried to weaponize it somehow against Joe Biden.   I think we all know a fair bit about the laptop, to the extent that there's “one” laptop. But as Marcy has pointed out, the chain of custody on this stuff is totally murky, and it's basically useless as evidence.   So, during much of the first half of 2023, Hunter Biden's lawyers are negotiating with David Weiss to get a global deal to shut the investigation down. Hunter Biden had paid all his taxes, he was sober and in recovery and he just wanted to be done. But at the same time, political pressure was ratcheting up like crazy from Republicans in Congress, particularly after these two supposed IRS whistleblowers came forward claiming that the investigation had been slow walked. Those two guys are named Gary Shapley and Joseph Zeigler, and their testimony, like that of Scott Brady, who also testified before Congress, was highly problematic.    But at some point last summer, the pressure on Weiss seems to have overwhelmed him, and he backed away from the plea deal he'd already negotiated with Biden's lawyers. And in a dramatic hearing in July of 2023, the whole thing imploded.    Hunter Biden has now been indicted in California on tax charges, and in Delaware on the gun charges. He's claimed that he has a right to enforce the original plea deal which would shield him from prosecution. And he claims that the prosecution was tainted from the beginning by political bias, which … clearly it was. He's also filed lawsuits against the IRS and various figures in this case, including Giuliani and Costello, in an attempt to both stop them constantly slandering him and to shake loose information which would help his case.   Look, it's a whole lot. And I guess the most important thing to understand, even if you can't follow every strand of this story, is that the entire case had its genesis in Trump's efforts to stop Joe Biden from becoming president, and we're here now because Republicans in Congress wanted to impeach Biden, or at least make sure he didn't get a second term in office.    Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod Patreon: patreon.com/LawAndChaosPod  

Sarah and Beth discuss the Chinese Surveillance Balloon. Next, Kenneth Vogel joins Sarah and Beth to talk about his reporting on sports betting and the intersection of the Supreme Court, Congress, State Governments, and lobbyists. TOPICS DISCUSSED:Chinese Surveillance Balloon Over U.S. AirspaceSports Betting with Ken VogelOutside Politics: Sabbath RESOURCES:Join the Pantsuit Politics Book Club by becoming a Premium Member on Patreon or Apple Podcast SubscriptionsSubscribe here to get the Pantsuit Politics Newsletter - including Sarah and Beth's Winter Survival Guide - in your email inbox every Friday.Please visit our website for full show notes and episode resources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicolle Wallace discusses how prevalent election denialism is in the Republican Party despite a spat between the ex-president and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the unanswered questions after a Chinese intelligence gathering balloon detected over Montana, how Allen Weisselberg could turn out to be a key witness in another alleged crime by the ex-president and more. Joined by: Elaine Luria, Carol Leonnig, Tim Miller, Barry McCaffrey, Mallory McMorrow, Andrew Weissmann, Tim O'Brien, Barbara McQuade, Ken Vogel, Frank Figliuzzi and Rev. Al Sharpton.

Former President Trump dined with Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago, triggering a political firestorm. Plus, a week ahead of the Georgia runoff, the state broke a voting record with more than 300,000 early votes cast on Monday. And new reporting uncovers FTX's massive operation to shape regulation for the crypto industry through political and charitable donations. Peter Baker, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Charles Coleman, Greg Bluestein, Juanita Tolliver, Stuart Stevens, Ken Vogel, and Ron Insana join.

Leonard Leo is an American legal activist who has done more than any other person to shift the United States Supreme Court to the political right. Pivotal in the selection and confirmation of all six conservative judges currently sitting on the Court, Leo could be seen as ground zero for the Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has jeopardised abortion rights in the US. The Supreme Court, whose role it is to ensure that legislation passed by Congress is constitutional, is increasingly becoming the final word in US political life. Therefore, the liberal-conservative balance of the nine judges sitting on it is, other than control of the White House, the most visceral and important litmus test for which side is winning America's so-called culture war, or as comedian Bill Maher recently put it, the “Cold Civil War”.My guest for this conversation is Ken Vogel, who writes for the New York Times, and primarily investigates the influence of big money in his country's politics. He is the author of a recent exposé of Leonard Leo, which you can read online. 

Air Date 9/24/2022 Today, we take a look at the decades-long scheme to funnel conservative activist judges into the judiciary to support Republican policy goals and the resulting legal bulwark defending Trump against prosecution and supporting his future election efforts.  Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! OUR AFFILIATE LINKS: ExpressVPN.com/BestOfTheLeft GET INTERNET PRIVACY WITH EXPRESS VPN! BestOfTheLeft.com/Libro SUPPORT INDIE BOOKSHOPS, GET YOUR AUDIOBOOK FROM LIBRO! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: About half the world has prosecuted a former leader, so why doesn't the U.S.? - The Mehdi Hasan Show - Air Date 9-4-22 About half the world has prosecuted a former leader, so why doesn't the U.S.? Ch. 2: FBI Seizes Mike Lindell's Phone at Hardee's, DOJ Issues 40 Trump Subpoenas: A Closer Look - Late Night with Seth Meyers - Air Date 9-14-22 Seth takes a closer look at the FBI seizing the phones of two Trump aides and issuing 40 subpoenas as the Justice Department intensifies its various investigations of Trump and his allies, including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Ch. 3: Trump's Remaking Of Judiciary Appears To Pay Off In Mar-A-Lago Case - The Mehdi Hasan Show - Air Date 9-6-22 You may not have heard of Judge Aileen Cannon at the start of her lifetime appointment. But Trump's court pick just ruled in favor of a special master in the Mar-a-Lago probe. Ch. 4: The Law v Lawless Edition - Amicus - Air Date 9-10-22 A single Trump-appointed judge's attempt to stick a fork in the Justice Department's criminal investigation into potential mishandling of classified materials is part of a systemic story about American justice. Ch. 5: Leonard Leo, The Most Powerful Person In America You've Never Heard Of - All In w/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 8-22-22 When you see the news about a 10-year-old forced to flee her state to terminate a pregnancy from her rapist, think about Leonard Leo as the man who brought that state of affairs about. He is the guy pulling the strings in the background. Ch. 6: Elie Mystal on the Four Investigations into Trump & Why Progressives Should Push to Expand the Court - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-7-22 A federal judge on Monday agreed with Donald Trump's lawyers to appoint an independent arbiter known as a special master to review top-secret documents seized during an FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate. Ch. 7: The Scheme Speech 1: The Powell Report - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse - Air Date 5-27-21 Sen. Whitehouse delivers his first speech on court capture MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 8: Right-Wing Dark Money Gets $1.6 Billion Donation From One Donor - All In w/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 8-22-22 “It was a very unusual transaction, the likes of which I have not seen in my years of covering money in politics,” says New York Times reporter Ken Vogel. Ch. 9: Lock Him Up? - On The Media - Air Date 9-9-22 James D. Long [@prof_jameslong], associate professor of political science at the University of Washington, on the consequences of modern democracies across the globe prosecuting — or choosing not to prosecute — their former leaders FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 10: Final comments on defeating authoritarianism with action, not news following MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr  Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world) Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Nicolle Wallace discusses Senate Republicans voting to block the formation of a January 6th commission. Plus, the DHS warns of the potential for racially-motivated violence in Tulsa, Texas is about to sign a voter suppression bill into law, another cyber attack here in the U.S., a new federal criminal investigation involving Rudy Giuliani and disinformation, Jan. 6th rioters’ ties to the military, and more legal trouble for the Trump Organization  Joined by: Olivia Troye, Rep. Madeline Dean, former Rep. Barbara Comstock, Reverend Al Sharpton, Nick Confessore, Frank Figliuzzi, Ron Klain, Ken Vogel, Andrew Weissmann, Jeremy Butler, and Harry Litman

On Monday's Mark Levin Show, the Horowitz Report that America waited over a year for was lackluster. While, there was no smoking gun, per se, there were several cases of abuse and missteps found in the FISA process. Given Michael Horowitz's limitations on scope, he does not have all the information that U.S Attorney John Durham's investigation has, given the nature of a criminal probe with access to a grand jury. The report found severe violations of our individual rights and liberties with respect to the FBI's confidential human sources (spies) being used on members of the Trump campaign. Then, Attorney General William Barr, and John Durham issued sharp retorts to the statements issued by Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The baseless accusations and malign behavior of rogue leaders in the FBI and intel community were used to prompt a special counsel, which is an outrageous abuse of power. Later, while it's been established by a Ukrainian court in 2018 that Ukrainian citizens interfered in the 2016 American election on Hillary Clinton's behalf. As such, Sen. Ted Cruz recently went head-to-head with the fake news media who disregards the reporting done by Politico's Ken Vogel. Afterward, liberal law professor Alan Dershowitz joins Life Liberty and Levin to share his thoughts on the rogue House of Representatives that is operating extra-constitutionally with their current attack on the separation of powers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday's Mark Levin Show, the Horowitz Report that America waited over a year for was lackluster. While, there was no smoking gun, per se, there were several cases of abuse and missteps found in the FISA process. Given Michael Horowitz's limitations on scope, he does not have all the information that U.S Attorney John Durham's investigation has, given the nature of a criminal probe with access to a grand jury. The report found severe violations of our individual rights and liberties with respect to the FBI's confidential human sources (spies) being used on members of the Trump campaign. Then, Attorney General William Barr, and John Durham issued sharp retorts to the statements issued by Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The baseless accusations and malign behavior of rogue leaders in the FBI and intel community were used to prompt a special counsel, which is an outrageous abuse of power. Later, while it's been established by a Ukrainian court in 2018 that Ukrainian citizens interfered in the 2016 American election on Hillary Clinton's behalf. As such, Sen. Ted Cruz recently went head-to-head with the fake news media who disregards the reporting done by Politico's Ken Vogel. Afterward, liberal law professor Alan Dershowitz joins Life Liberty and Levin to share his thoughts on the rogue House of Representatives that is operating extra-constitutionally with their current attack on the separation of powers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business Radio Special: Hosted William Burke-White, Policy Advisor, Expert in International Law, and Deputy Dean and Director of Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, we explore the interplay of business and politics with a look at the upcoming midterm US elections (Nov 6, 2018). Part I of this special will explore The Business of Political Campaigns with Karl Rove, Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush; The Intersection of Money and Politics with Ken Vogel, Reporter for the New York Times, and Michelle Yee Hee Lee, National Political Enterprise and Accountability Reporter at The Washington Post; and Trade Policy's Impact on American Businesses with Charlie Dent, Former U.S. Congressman representing the 15th district in Pennsylvania. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, Andrew McCarthy, a contributing editor for National Review and a former federal prosecutor, joined Rick Ungar to talk about the news cycle of gun control debates and why we can't seem to find common ground on guns. Steve Bannon is beginning to form a political coalition with the Mercer family to support their populist and anti-establishment agenda. They plan to rival the powerful network established by the Koch brothers. Ken Vogel, a New York Times reporter who covers the confluence of money, politics and influence, discusses the impact that the Bannon-Mercer alliance could have on the 2018 midterms and the future of the GOP.

Garland and Lee discuss the FBI Director confirmation hearing and the latest on the Donald Trump Jr email story.Garland and Lee discuss the recent rebirth of the Ken Vogel story on Ukrainian election meddling.Garland and Lee discuss a Detroit Judge's halting of 1400 Iraqi refugees from deportation due to an ACLU lawsuit.

Ken Vogel, POLITICO's chief investigative reporter, joins the show to update Rick and guest co-host Robert Traynham on the Trump-Russia probe investigating potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy gives us a comprehensive introduction to Robert Mueller, the new special counsel who will be leading the investigation.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Scott Bland, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Hadas Gold discuss what the pollsters got wrong and how the media should course correct.

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ken Vogel, Chief Investigative Reporter for POLITICO and author of the article, “The Koch Intelligence Agency.” Houghton and Vogel (who tracks the confluence of money, politics, and influence for POLITICO) discuss the use of use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and even covert action in modern political campaigns.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Ken Vogel, Hadas Gold, Scott Bland and Katie Glueck discuss what can we expect from the first debate, the religious right’s conversion to Donald Trump, Trump as “strongman” and more.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols, Scott Bland and Charlie Mahtesian analyze the latest CNN/ORC poll showing Donald Trump leading by 2 points and debate which battleground states are still within reach for Trump. Also on the docket; how Republicans' August freak-out paid off in donations and what to expect from Sheldon Adelson.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols, Scott Bland and Charlie Mahtesian discuss Donald Trump's visit to Mexico, his immigration messaging and the current estimated electoral college count - is the map already cooked? Also on the docket, how Hillary Clinton's August fundraising haul highlights her reliance on big donors.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols, Scott Bland and Hadas Gold discuss Hillary Clinton's run-out-the-clock strategy and how the next email dump could affect that plan, Donald Trump's digital campaign spending and polling in swing states - can we trust the numbers?

POLITICO’s Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols, Hadas Gold and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House. The group discusses how Donald Trump's week of gaffes is burying bad news for Hillary Clinton and they examine Trump's fundraising efforts and why it's so hard for him to ask for money. Also discussed are the Paul Ryan and John McCain snubs and the delicate dance many Republican lawmakers are doing to win votes their home districts.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel and Hadas Gold geek out over the race to the White House in Philadelphia with segments on the unlikely but not impossible scenario that the election ends in a tie, the Russians hacking DNC emails and Donald Trump's response, and President Obama's address to the convention.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel and Eli Stokols geek out over the race to the White House in Cleveland with segments on the youth vote, Donald Trump's children playing a starring role at the convention, Ivanka's influence on Trump and Super PAC fundraising.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Donald Trump's fundraising catch-up, Nate Silver's campaign math and Pennsylvania's politics.

POLITICO’s Susan Glasser, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Cory Lewandowski's sudden exit from Donald Trump's team and the role Trump's children are playing in the campaign. Plus, the group analyzes the fundraising gap between the Trump and Clinton campaigns and discusses how Trump's money disadvantage could affect him in the crucial months to come.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Donald Trump's reaction to the Orlando shooting and if his off-the-cuff style will translate to national election success. Plus, the group looks at where Hillary Clinton is spending her ad money and if it's helping her favorability numbers.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Donald Trump's money woes, Paul Manafort's influence on the Trump campaign and whether or not Elizabeth Warren is campaigning to be Hillary Clinton's VP.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on the Libertarian's threat to Donald Trump, why Hillary Clinton's winning the war for superdelegates and the unique role Twitter is playing in this race.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Hadas Gold and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Rick Wiley, Donald Trump's national campaign director, leaving the job after only six weeks, Trump's complicated relationship with the RNC, and a potential debate between Bernie Sanders and Trump. Plus, how Sanders' momentum is affecting upcoming congressional races, namely Debbie Wasserman Schultz's contest in Florida.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Hadas Gold and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on the Democratic crackup and Bernie Sander's long game, Facebook's optics problem with conservatives and the gender gap driving 2016.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out over the race to the White House with segments on Hillary Clinton's dismal showing in West Virginia, Donald Trump meeting with the RNC, primary polling versus general election, and more.

POLITICO’s Kristin Roberts, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel, Eli Stokols and Scott Bland geek out on the race to the White House on the inaugural episode of the 2016 Nerdcast

Bernie Sanders proved the pundits and pollsters wrong by winning Indiana by 5 points. Now on to West Virginia. Today, we push back on the right wing narratives about the two Democratic campaigns fundraising with Politico's Ken Vogel and The Intercept's Lee Fang. Today's show was delayed as our power here in South Florida went out just moments before air time. When it came back on and I was still able to get Ken and Lee on to discuss their respective stories, we went for it. Of course, two minutes after ending the show, the power went out again. Welcome to FloriDUH and our fabulous infrastructure.

Dr. Drew and Mike Catherwood talk with Ken Vogel

Dr. Drew and Mike Catherwood talk with Ken Vogel

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ken Vogel, Chief Investigative Reporter for POLITICO and author of the article, “The Koch Intelligence Agency.” Houghton and Vogel (who tracks the confluence of money, politics, and influence for POLITICO) discuss the use of use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and even covert action in modern political campaigns.

Politico reporter Ken Vogel discovered that the Clinton Foundation has collected as much as $11.7 million in speaker fees from nonprofits. Some argue that celebrity appearances create buzz and more donations for nonprofits, but critics say the high price tags don’t produce worthwhile, measurable returns. Do big-name speakers add value to a charity's bottom line or are they just an “empty calorie high?”

9 AM - 1 - Obama can't stop chewin' on that Nicorette gum; CA gas tax revenue confusion; Gas prices be low. 2 - Politico's Ken Vogel reports on his stories about the Koch brothers (and their buddies) planning to spend nearly $900 million on the 2016 election.and "The Rise of Scam PACs." 3 - Marshall's News. 4 - One of the women on The Bachelor said she's a virgin; Final Thoughts.

Obama can't stop chewin' on that Nicorette gum; CA gas tax revenue confusion; Politico's Ken Vogel reports on he Koch brothers spending $900 million on election; Marshall's News; the Bachelor virgin; Final Thoughts

Nicole Sandler speaks with Ken Vogel about the effects of Big Money in politics in the final week of election season 2014. Plus the Gliberal Goddesses reconvene to talk about catcalls on the street, unrealistic waistlines, Gamergate and lots more.

Slate political reporter Daved Weigel speaks with Politico's Ken Vogel, author of Big Money, and Mother Jones' Dan Schulman, author of Sons of Wichita. Both books examine the effect of wealthy donors on politics.

At first glance, today’s conversation might seem as surprising as dog bites man: Money has taken over our political process. I know – not a shocker. But what if I told you that, quite possibly, our next President will be chosen by 5 or 6 of the richest people in America? Or a dozen? Certainly no more than 100?It’s hardly an exaggeration. From the historic growth of PACs to the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision through now the increasing mega-wealth of the top .01 percent, the role of the super rich in politics has grown exponentially. Control of America’s future has shifted from political parties to power players – individuals who bankroll campaigns and collect politicians like sports franchise. And this is no fantasy league.What does this shift in money and influence mean for our political future? Who are these individuals and what are they doing to our democracy?While you may know some of the names – Koch or Adelson or Soros or Katzenberg – you likely don’t know them all.Kenneth Vogel, however, does. Ken covers the confluence of money, politics and influence for Politico. He’s also author of the new must-read book “Big Money: 2.5 Billion Dollars, One Suspicious Vehicle, and a Pimp—on the Trail of the Ultra-Rich Hijacking American Politics.”

Nicole talks about the systemic killing off of progressive voices on the so-called public airwaves. Politico's Ken Vogel tells us who is funding right wing hate radio, and Media Matters' Angelo Carusone tells us about the battle to expose the hate talkers for who tehy are. And Nicole Belle brings us her final edition of "Fools on the Hill"

Episode 139, with guests Nick Confessore and Ken Vogel

9 AM - People are drinking less American beer; Ken Vogel from Politico reports on all the perks Rick Perry gets being gov of Texas; Stanford law professor says black women should marry white men; Caller fight!

Nicole replayed her Friday Randi Rhodes Show interviews with Washington Post's Greg Sargent and Politico's Ken Vogel. Plus GottaLaff joins in from The Political Carnival

It's Tax Day.. Nicole Sandler speaks with Politico.com's Ken Vogel about the connection between the Tea Party Express and GOP fundraising; with blogger/tweeter @Shoq about Faux News' latest embarassment; and with comedian John Fugelsang.