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As Chuck Schumer plays government shutdown chicken with the Trump administration, budget director Russ Vought stops funding to a handful of democrat pet projects in New York City and Chicago. As democrats cry racism, Vought wants to know if the multi-billion dollar transportation projects have involved race-based contracting. The National Guard rolls in to Memphis and locals celebrate. Trump gives unaccompanied illegal alien children a fat incentive to self-deport.
This week's episode of The Necessary Conversation gets heated after a brutal argument about Trump's government shutdown and ICE's military-style raids.
After Republicans refuse to negotiate with Democrats on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, the government shuts down. Dan and Alex Wagner, Pod Save America's newest contributor, discuss what Democrats will need to do to hold the line; Project 2025 architect Russ Vought's attacks on blue states and federal employees; and the Democratic-Republican messaging fight that's devolved into an AI-fueled meme war. Then, the two break down Trump's threats — and Hegseth's grievances — at an unprecedented meeting of the military's top brass, Trump's new political demands for universities, and some much-needed good news about free speech, Fed Chair Lisa Cook, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
John welcomes former Obama White House comms director (and his ersthwile cohost on The Circus) Jennifer Palmieri to discuss the shuttering of the federal government earlier this week. Palmieri argues that Democrats were right to deny Republicans the votes it needed to further operationalize its agenda; that focusing on health care is fighting both the good fight (morally) and the right fight (politically) for her party; and that Donald Trump's embrace of Russ Vought's plan to lay off federal workers and cancel programs in blue states is only making it more likely that the GOP ends up being blamed for the shutdown. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's Casual Friday on the Majority Report On today's Show: After denying any knowledge of Project 2025 for his entire campaign, Donald Trump is now bragging about his Office of Management & Budget director and Project 2025 architect Russ Vought's accomplishing the goals he feigned ignorance towards. Former U.S. Representative for New York's 16th Congressional District, Jamaal Bowman joins the program to wrap the week's news. Feds unleash terror on a Chicago apartment building, detaining American citizens including children and elderly folks in zip ties for hours in the middle of the night. As the government shutdown rolls along, Rep Bowman gives insight on how unserious the House of Representatives has become. Jamaal reacts to the Ezra Klein / Ta-Nehisi Coates' conversation about Klein's whitewashing of Charlie Kirk. On the Fun Half: Tim Pool carries water for GOP lies about undocumented people receiving free health care. Sen. Liz Warren sets the record straight over this undocumented health care myth. Tomi Lahren proves she really is fearless by inviting Krystal Ball on her podcast to humiliate her. All that and more The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: ZOCDOC: Go to Zocdoc.com/MAJORITY and download the Zocdoc app to sign-up for FREE and book a top-rated doctor. SUNSET LAKE: Head to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the code JustTreats25 to save 30% on all their gummies for sleep, focus, and relaxation Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/
Riley Gaines welcomes her baby, AOC gets sombrero-fied, and Trump drops fire memes and plots Russ Vought. We've got the latest on the government shutdown, Mike Johnson's plan to clean house in D.C., and Newt Gingrich calling Democrats dumb.Plus: Greta Thunberg arrested in Israel, Free Gaza lies exposed, Mamdani's radical school agenda, and a shocking Islamist attack in the UK. Candace Owens drama explained, Tyler Bowyer defends Turning Point, and Megyn Kelly weighs in on Israel, Hamas, Tucker, and Candace.Give your furry friend the gift of healthy, happy skin this season—save 15% on all Coat Defense products at https://CoatDefense.com with code CHICKS at checkout!For free and unbiased Medicare help, call 442-3-CHICKS (442-324-4257) to speak with a Chapter advisor for guidance from experts who know Medicare inside and out.Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand-alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan's contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don't directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.Live a better digital life with WebRoot. Get 50% off WebRoot Total Protection at https://WebRoot.com/Chicks
Brad and Dan examine Pete Hegseth's recent gathering of generals, critiquing his “warrior ethos” rhetoric and highlighting the dangers of his speech that attacked DEI, questioned due process in sexual assault cases, and called for stricter religious and fitness standards in the military. They unpack his fat-shaming and fabricated claims, contrasting leadership with rulership in both Hegseth's and Trump's approaches, which lean on power rather than genuine leadership. The discussion expands to Trump's disturbing remarks about using American cities as military training grounds and framing citizens as enemies, alongside analysis of Project 2025, the looming government shutdown, and Russ Vought's strategy targeting blue states. Brad and Dan also spotlight Judge William G. Young's strong defense of pro-Palestinian speech and his rebuke of Trump's attacks on free expression. With themes of authoritarianism, executive overreach, and the critical role of resistance, the hosts call on listeners to stay informed, resist normalization of these tactics, and engage in the ongoing fight for democracy. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're a few days into a government shutdown, but James, Steve, and Charles are managing to get by. So it's business as usual as the trio pick apart the oddities of the week: Democrats attempt to dodge responsibility for their own filibuster; OMB's Russ Vought gets to work on his master plan; the Secretary of War stands accused of fat-shaming his generals; a man named Jihad does the unthinkable in Manchester; the Chicago Teachers' Union mourns the passing of a '70s cop-killer; and Hollywood resists the rise of digitally diverse actors.Sound from this week's opening: Pete Hegseth speaks in Quantico, listing practices that the military is "done with" going forward.
On today's Top News in 10, we cover: Democrat leadership goes from dozens of media appearances a day into hiding as the left splits into dozens of takes on the shutdown. President Trump, Russ Vought, and Tom Homan move forward with federal cuts, the border wall, and the White House Ballroom. Our Senior Reporter Virginia Allen chimes in from eastern Europe & Scandinavia. Keep Up With The Daily Signal Sign up for our email newsletters: https://www.dailysignal.com/email Subscribe to our other shows: The Tony Kinnett Cast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AFk8xjiOOBEynVg3JiN6g The Signal Sitdown: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376 Problematic Women: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741 Victor Davis Hanson: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327 Follow The Daily Signal: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Shutdown Senate VoteThe shutdown rolls on, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already said it is unlikely the Senate will vote this weekend. That means the government shutdown will extend into next week unless something changes Friday morning. He criticized Democrats for demanding an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies in the stopgap bill and insisted negotiations must begin only once the government reopens. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is predicting GOP unity will falter as the shutdown drags on, but I'm not convinced.From where I sit, the numbers tell the story. Three Democrats voted with Republicans last time. Rand Paul opposes continuing resolutions, so Republicans will need eight Democrats to reach 60 votes because J.D. Vance is the tie breaker. Every time the Senate votes, I'm watching to see if more than three Democrats side with Republicans — that's the real signal of where this is going.I don't believe Democrats are built for shutdowns. They're posturing as if they're ready to see this through, but the longer it goes the more likely rank and file members will embarrass Chuck Schumer into ending it. The real pain — furloughs, firings, and cuts to the federal workforce — is only going to show up if this lasts into next week. That's when the Russ Vought part of the story kicks in, and that's when this gets serious.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Abigail Spanberger in VirginiaFormer Representative Abigail Spanberger is leading Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears by 10 points in the governor's race, 52 to 42, according to a new Emerson College and Hill survey conducted September 28 and 29. Early voting is already underway with more than 146,000 ballots cast. Among those voters, Spanberger leads 60 to 38 and still holds a 50 to 43 edge among those yet to vote.Her gains have come from independents, men, and younger voters. Independents back her by 19 points, men are evenly split, and voters under 50 favor her by 27 points. History suggests the party that is not in the White House usually wins the Virginia governor's race. Based on that, I'd bet Spanberger, even though this isn't exactly an electric matchup.The only real advantage Sears has is the men's and women's sports issue — a culture war topic, not a kitchen table one. I don't think that will be enough, especially in Northern Virginia, which is heavily government dependent and angry at the president. Add on Sears not being a great candidate and Spanberger looks far stronger heading into November.Bailouts are BackTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Trump administration will announce substantial support for U.S. farmers next week, likely funded by tariff revenue. Soybean growers have been hit hard as China has halted U.S. purchases during their trade war. Bessent accused Beijing of using farmers as hostages in negotiations but pledged aid, noting their loyalty to Trump.He discussed the plan with the president and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, but details and costs remain unclear. Argentina's discounted soybean sales to China have undercut U.S. farmers and stoked tension. Bailouts are back, and this is classic Trump — he's never been a fiscal hawk and has no problem using the federal government's pocketbook to shape the world as he sees fit.That's where things stand. Farmers are hurting, the administration is signaling payouts, and we'll see next week how big the support really is.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro and Synagogue Shooting00:03:47 - Interview with Gloria Young00:34:28 - Update00:34:44 - Shutdown00:38:08 - Abigail Spanberger00:40:18 - Farmers00:41:49 - Interview with Gloria Young (con't)01:03:18 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe
Speaker Mike Johnson brings receipts to Friday's morning's press conference showing how millions of illegal aliens were receiving Medicaid benefits that were intended ONLY for US Citizens. Charles Payne from Fox Business joins us to explain how this government shutdown could affect YOU and your health care, and to break down if Republicans could benefit from this shutdown. Trump shares a video featuring a parody of “Don't Fear The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult featuring Russ Vought as the Grim Reaper. Actor Richard Gere claims Trump has destroyed America in 6 months. Pete Hegseth posts a video of a boat of four male narco-terrorists being taken out in true Miami Vice theme. The Manchester synagogue attacker was a British citizen, named Jihad, of Syrian descent who sympathized with Hamas. Sen. Rand Paul joins us to discuss what is being voted on in the CR, the amount of Biden spending that some Republicans are voting for and his opinion on RFK Jr.'s MAHA Movement. Tim Walz thinks Trump posting AI videos is scaring our European allies. Amazon has digitally removed the firearms out of James Bond's hands from the key art on all the James Bond movies on its platform. Theo Von makes a cryptic shot at Israel when talking about his mental health on his latest episode of his podcast, “This Past Weekend”. Zohran Mamdani says he would phase out New York City's “gifted” program in public schools. Portland Police detain independent journalist Nick Sortor over defending himself from Antifa rioters.Thank you for supporting our sponsors that make The Dana Show possible…ChapterFor free and unbiased Medicare help from my partners Chapter, dial #250 and say keyword “My Medicare”Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand-alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan's contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don't directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.Keltechttps://KelTecWeapons.comKelTec builds every KS7 GEN2 right here in the USA with American materials and workers—upgrade your home defense today. All Family Pharmacyhttps://AllFamilyPharmacy.com/Dana Don't wait until flu season knocks at your door. Use code DANA10 at checkout to save 10%. Fast Growing Treeshttps://Fast-Growing-Trees.comGet up to 50% off select plants and an extra 15% off your first purchase with code DANA at Fast Growing Trees. Offer valid for a limited time; terms apply.Relief Factorhttps://ReliefFactor.com OR CALL 1-800-4-RELIEFTurn the clock back on pain with Relief Factor. Get their 3-week Relief Factor Quick Start for only $19.95 today! Byrnahttps://Byrna.com/danaGet your hands on the new compact Byrna CL. Visit Byrna.com/Dana to receive 10% off Patriot Mobilehttps://PatriotMobile.com/DanaDana's personal cell phone provider is Patriot Mobile. Get a FREE MONTH of service code DANAHumanNhttps://HumanN.comSupport your cholesterol health with SuperBerine and the #1 bestselling SuperBeets Heart Chews—both on sale for $5 off at Sam's Club. Boost your metabolic health and save!
Riley Gaines welcomes her baby, AOC gets sombrero-fied, and Trump drops fire memes and plots Russ Vought. We've got the latest on the government shutdown, Mike Johnson's plan to clean house in D.C., and Newt Gingrich calling Democrats dumb. Plus: Greta Thunberg arrested in Israel, Free Gaza lies exposed, Mamdani's radical school agenda, and a […]
On today's Top News in 10, we cover: Democrat leadership goes from dozens of media appearances a day into hiding as the left splits into dozens of takes on the shutdown. President Trump, Russ Vought, and Tom Homan move forward with federal cuts, the border wall, and the White House Ballroom. Our Senior Reporter Virginia […]
We're a few days into a government shutdown, but James, Steve, and Charles are managing to get by. So it's business as usual as the trio pick apart the oddities of the week: Democrats attempt to dodge responsibility for their own filibuster; OMB's Russ Vought gets to work on his master plan; the Secretary of […]
Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Trump's right hand shutdown man is Office of Management of Budge Director and Project 2025 orchestrator Russ Vought. He is reportedly delighted by the opportunity to slash and burn more government jobs. It was also Vought's grand plan to use the start of the shutdown to retaliate against Democrats by putting a hold on federal funding for major infrastructure projects in states like New York and Chicago. We will talk about that and more with political journalist Michael Shure. He stops by for 'This Week in Politics.' The Culture Blaster Michael Snyder has watched all the movies and seen all the shows and now he's ready to make his feelings known. Add Friday Fabulous Florida to the mix and it's a perfect start to the weekend.
AlabamaFederal judge orders state senate districts to be redrawn by special masterCongressman Strong wants no pay for Dems who voted for shutdownNew law allows police to ask for immigration papers for reasonable suspicionA coal lease sale in Tuscaloosa county involves Warrior Met Coal miningNebius Data Center purchases 79 acres in Birmingham for new data centerA Drag Queen show in Huntsville is being promoted as "family friendly"Turning Point USA to hold event next week at University of AlabamaNationalPresident Trump declares a conflict on drug cartels in Caribbean watersTrump meets with Russ Vought to make cuts of federal budgets and workersTN prepares to execute only female death row inmate for murder in 1995Tina Peters releases statement at one year mark of her imprisonment in COProbable cause papers filed in court against Charlie Kirk shooter
Jon Herold pre-records this edition while heading out on a quick trip but still packs it full of sharp analysis. He opens with updates on the government shutdown, CNN's spin on “enhanced Obamacare subsidies,” and Russ Vought's latest moves targeting blue-state projects. Herold digs into fresh FBI whistleblower revelations on Biden's Ukraine dealings, the quiet setup for a major corruption bombshell, and Barry Weiss's surprising rise to CBS News. He examines Kash Patel's testimony on Antifa funding and the slippery slope of social media “clickbait” censorship before diving into the biggest story of the day, Trump formally declaring war on drug cartels as terrorist organizations. By framing cartel operations as acts of war, Trump asserts extraordinary wartime powers, opening the door to bold new legal and constitutional arguments. Herold connects the move to devolution theories, wartime precedent, and the broader battle against America's enemies.
CannCon and Chris Paul team up to cut through the noise on day three of the government shutdown. From Trump's meeting with Russ Vought and the unprecedented chance to slash bloated federal agencies, to Cash Patel's bombshell confirmation that Pelosi refused National Guard support on January 6th, this episode is stacked with revelations. The hosts expose the FBI's covert presence inside the Capitol, Pelosi's HBO film crew, and the media's role in covering up the inside job. They also dig into Trump's strategic trolling of Project 2025 critics, the Democrats' crumbling narratives, and what a true “return to normalcy” in America should look like. With sharp analysis and no-holds-barred banter, CannCon and Chris Paul make clear that the dam is breaking, and the Deep State is running out of time.
Jon Herold dives into day two of the government shutdown, unpacking the fight over Democrat demands for expanded Obamacare subsidies and health benefits for non-citizens. He highlights Trump's meeting with Russ Vought and the unprecedented opportunity to slash bloated federal agencies during the shutdown, tying it back to Trump's past remarks on fraud and the need for an “unprecedented cure.” The episode also explores a newly issued DoD directive on irregular warfare, connecting it to information ops and Trump's acknowledgment of domestic psyops. From Kash Patel ending FBI partnerships with the ADL to billions in climate and DEI funding being cut, Walmart dropping synthetic dyes, and even the Pope blessing ice at a climate conference, Herold blends sharp analysis with pointed humor. Updates on crypto, Fed rate cuts, and the reopening of questions about Andrew Weissman round out a packed show that exposes the deep state's games and Trump's counterpunches.
Marc Cox talks with Congressman Eric Burlison about the political strategy behind the government shutdown, including Russ Vought's influence, Project 2025, and the possibility of permanent government cuts. They discuss debates over Obamacare subsidies, the Hyde Amendment, and partisan dynamics in Washington. Burlison also addresses his letter on data centers in Missouri, raising concerns about property rights, transparency, local opposition, and the strain on electricity and water utilities
Karoline Leavitt is speaking from the White House about Russ Vought's plans to start cutting unnecessary jobs from the federal government to save money. Which begs the question: Why wouldn't we do this?
-- On the Show: -- Donald Trump with Russ Vought cancels billions in climate and transit funding only for blue states, punishing voters who backed Kamala Harris -- Trump embraces the government shutdown because it delays the Epstein files, with Speaker Mike Johnson blocking Adelita Grijalva from being sworn in -- Congresswoman Madeleine Dean tells Mike Johnson that Trump is unhinged and unwell while Republicans pretend not to notice -- The ADP report shows Trump's economy loses 32,000 private payroll jobs in September with declines in hospitality, construction, and small business -- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joins Gavin Newsom in declaring Trump has dementia and calls for his removal under the 25th Amendment -- Google search disables AI overviews for Trump dementia queries while providing them for Joe Biden, raising censorship concerns -- Karoline Leavitt lashes out at reporters asking about Jared Kushner's foreign funding, Trump's AI deepfake, and looming layoffs during the shutdown -- JD Vance defends Trump posting a sombrero meme of Hakeem Jeffries, dismisses racism concerns, and jokes while pushing the shutdown -- On the Bonus Show: Big Pharma benefits from Trump's drug pricing plan, Pope Leo denounces support for the death penalty as incompatible with being pro-life, John Fetterman polls higher with Republicans than Democrats, and much more...
Aaron McIntire unpacks the escalating government shutdown, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warning of imminent federal layoffs and Russ Vought defunding blue state projects. J.D. Vance promises to halt sombrero memes if Democrats reopen the government. The Anti-Defamation League scraps its controversial extremism glossary amid scrutiny over Charlie Kirk's assassination. Pope Leo's week goes from bad to worse with a bizarre blessing for ice, and Joe Rogan reflects on the evil of celebrating Kirk's murder. government shutdown, J.D. Vance, Caroline Leavitt, Russ Vought, Anti-Defamation League, Pope Leo, Charlie Kirk assassination, Joe Rogan, Hakeem Jeffries, Ilhan Omar
100225 Scott Adams Show, Russ Vought Government Cuts, Schumer Shutdown, Charlie Kirk Update
Jon Herold opens this episode on day one of the government shutdown, calling it both political theater and an opportunity. He digs into Trump's tactics, Russ Vought's shutdown memo, and how single line-item votes could reshape federal spending. From JD Vance's fiery remarks to Speaker Johnson's pushback on Schumer's demands, Jon explains why both sides are playing the blame game while Trump quietly sets the agenda. He then unpacks Trump's unexpected security guarantee for Qatar, signed just before Netanyahu's visit, and what it signals for U.S.–Israel relations and Middle East stability. A major thread centers on Israel's payments to influencers, up to $7,000 per post, o shape U.S. opinion, which Jon blasts as foreign propaganda and an act of information warfare. The show also touches on Bitcoin's rise, Trump's AI-driven pediatric cancer initiative, the PBS poll seeding violence narratives, and fresh outrage over a Virginia school worker aiding a student's abortion. With humor, rants, and first-principles thinking, Jon ties together shutdown brinkmanship, foreign influence, and the broader information war.
On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck unpacks the latest government shutdown and the political brinkmanship that created it. He explores how shutdowns—once unthinkable—have become a partisan weapon, wasting money while allowing leaders like Donald Trump to punish opponents and play to their base. With Democrats at risk of shouldering equal or greater blame, Chuck asks whether the public is even paying attention, and what role figures like Russ Vought could play in reshaping government permanently. Beyond the shutdown, the conversation turns to the bigger picture: why voters never saw Trump as an aberration, why 2020 wasn't a full repudiation of 2016, and what Democrats must do to win back Trump voters in 2028. From Harris's struggle to differentiate herself from Biden to Clinton's careful dance with Reagan's legacy, Chuck argues that Democrats may need to admit Trump identified real problems—even as his solutions and behavior, especially with military leaders, remain deeply troubling.Then, Chuck is joined by NewsNation host Leland Vittert, who opens up about his personal journey growing up on the autism spectrum, the struggles his family faced, and the lessons that shaped his outlook on life and journalism. From being misunderstood in school and learning to navigate social cues, to the pivotal role his mother played in holding the family together, Vittert reflects on why he chose to go public with his story and how his experiences inform his new book—a parenting guide told from the child's perspective. He also explores how autism has served as both a challenge and, at times, a superpower in his career and personal life.The conversation widens to America's media landscape, where Vittert argues for a “radical center” approach and a journalism that calls balls and strikes on both sides rather than chasing flashy headlines. He stresses the importance of reviving local news, curating coverage around what matters most, and confronting the biases not only in how stories are told, but in which stories get told at all. This candid discussion is part memoir, part media critique, and a call for greater honesty—both in parenting and in public life.Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 senate races most likely to flip parties, answers listeners' questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment, and recaps a frustrating night at the Cowboys/Packers game. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!Timeline:(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)00:00 Introduction - Government begins shutting down01:15 Congress created shutdown conditions for political leverage02:00 Could shutdown trigger the end of the senate filibuster rule?02:45 Democrats have always messaged that shutdowns are bad04:30 Democrats could shoulder equal or more blame for shutdown06:30 Shutdowns are a massive waste of money07:30 Trump seems excited for shutdown to punish opponents09:15 Terrible trend of politicians only governing for their base 11:15 Independents are pretty sour on Trump's presidency13:00 Russ Vought at OMB could use shutdown to reorient gov't permanently14:30 Big danger for Democrats is whether the public is paying attention15:30 Chuck Schumer is “Mitch McConnell” level unpopular18:45 If Dems want to win in 28 they'll have to win over some Trump voters20:15 Democrats thought Trump was an aberration, voters didn't21:15 2020 wasn't a repudiation of why Trump was elected in 201624:00 Voters don't want status quo, which is why they elected Trump twice26:15 Harris needed to prove she was different from Biden and didn't27:45 For Clinton to win, he couldn't repudiate everything Reagan did30:00 Trump's behavior in front of military leaders was outrageous31:30 The military leaders handled the situation exactly as they should32:30 Hegseth lectured leaders of far higher rank than he earned in military33:45 Democrats will have to admit that Trump correctly identified problems34:45 Voters picked “political division” as the 2nd biggest problem after economy39:45 Leland Vittert joins the Chuck ToddCast 41:30 The public doesn't grasp autism and child development issues 42:45 Autism wasn't well understood in the 80s 43:30 Parents struggle to raise neurodivergent children 44:45 Adapting to the world you live in, not expecting world to adapt to you 46:30 Leland's father didn't want him to be defined by his disability 47:15 PE teacher put Leland in with the girls "to protect him" 48:00 The struggle with learning to pick up social queues 53:00 Everyone in DC always wanted to be student body president 53:45 Why go public with your story of being on the spectrum? 56:15 There's a "parental reckoning" happening in America 57:15 There are lots of broken young men susceptible to radicalization 58:45 Nobody has definitive answers about causes of autism 1:01:00 Scientists need to be humble enough to say "I don't know" 1:02:15 80% of parents with disabled children get divorced 1:04:15 Leland's mother held the family together, hero of the story 1:06:15 Telling this story publicly is like going to therapy on live TV 1:07:45 How did you share the story of your autism with your wife? 1:10:45 You don't "get over" autism 1:12:15 Where has autism showcased itself as a superpower in your life? 1:14:15 Book is a parenting book written from the child's perspective 1:16:00 There's no one answer to America's media problem 1:17:30 What works and doesn't work in the news media?? 1:18:45 There is a "radical center" that's sick of extremes on both sides 1:19:30 Journalists should call balls and strikes and call out both sides 1:21:30 Cable news tends to obsess over stories that are flashy over substantive 1:22:45 Journalists should curate stories that are most important 1:24:30 Bias isn't just how you cover the news, it's what you cover 1:26:15 Local news was a character reference for the national network journalists 1:28:00 How to revive local news/journalism? 1:30:45 Leland really put himself out there with this book1:31:15 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Leland Vittert 1:31:45 ToddCast Top 5 Senate races most likely to flip parties 1:32:15 #1 North Carolina 1:34:00 #2 Georgia 1:36:00 #3 Michigan 1:37:45 #4 Maine 1:39:45 #5 New Hampshire 1:45:15 Honorable mentions 1:45:45 Ask Chuck 1:46:00 Why is the lie that shutdown is over money for illegal immigrants pervasive? 1:49:00 Democrats feeling disheartened after talking to Trump supporters? 1:53:00 Would the country be better off if Trump was reelected in 2020? 1:57:15 Will Des Moines superintendent arrest derail Iowa senate campaign? 1:59:00 Chuck's experience at Cowboys/Packers game in Dallas 2:04:15 It was a great weekend of college football Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck unpacks the latest government shutdown and the political brinkmanship that created it. He explores how shutdowns—once unthinkable—have become a partisan weapon, wasting money while allowing leaders like Donald Trump to punish opponents and play to their base. With Democrats at risk of shouldering equal or greater blame, Chuck asks whether the public is even paying attention, and what role figures like Russ Vought could play in reshaping government permanently. Beyond the shutdown, the conversation turns to the bigger picture: why voters never saw Trump as an aberration, why 2020 wasn't a full repudiation of 2016, and what Democrats must do to win back Trump voters in 2028. From Harris's struggle to differentiate herself from Biden to Clinton's careful dance with Reagan's legacy, Chuck argues that Democrats may need to admit Trump identified real problems—even as his solutions and behavior, especially with military leaders, remain deeply troubling.Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 senate races most likely to flip parties, answers listeners' questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment, and recaps a frustrating night at the Cowboys/Packers game. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!Timeline:(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)00:00 Introduction - Government begins shutting down01:15 Congress created shutdown conditions for political leverage02:00 Could shutdown trigger the end of the senate filibuster rule?02:45 Democrats have always messaged that shutdowns are bad04:30 Democrats could shoulder equal or more blame for shutdown06:30 Shutdowns are a massive waste of money07:30 Trump seems excited for shutdown to punish opponents09:15 Terrible trend of politicians only governing for their base 11:15 Independents are pretty sour on Trump's presidency13:00 Russ Vought at OMB could use shutdown to reorient gov't permanently14:30 Big danger for Democrats is whether the public is paying attention15:30 Chuck Schumer is “Mitch McConnell” level unpopular18:45 If Dems want to win in 28 they'll have to win over some Trump voters20:15 Democrats thought Trump was an aberration, voters didn't21:15 2020 wasn't a repudiation of why Trump was elected in 201624:00 Voters don't want status quo, which is why they elected Trump twice26:15 Harris needed to prove she was different from Biden and didn't27:45 For Clinton to win, he couldn't repudiate everything Reagan did30:00 Trump's behavior in front of military leaders was outrageous31:30 The military leaders handled the situation exactly as they should32:30 Hegseth lectured leaders of far higher rank than he earned in military33:45 Democrats will have to admit that Trump correctly identified problems34:45 Voters picked “political division” as the 2nd biggest problem after economy37:30 ToddCast Top 5 Senate races most likely to flip parties 38:00 #1 North Carolina 39:45 #2 Georgia 41:45 #3 Michigan 43:30 #4 Maine 45:30 #5 New Hampshire 51:00 Honorable mentions 51:30 Ask Chuck 51:45 Why is the lie that shutdown is over money for illegal immigrants pervasive? 54:45 Democrats feeling disheartened after talking to Trump supporters? 58:45 Would the country be better off if Trump was reelected in 2020? 1:03:00 Will Des Moines superintendent arrest derail Iowa senate campaign? 1:04:45 Chuck's experience at Cowboys/Packers game in Dallas 1:10:00 It was a great weekend of college football Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
093025 Scott Adams Show, Peace in the Middle East, Schumer Shutdown and OMB Russ Vought
The media, realizing who will be in charge after a government shutdown happens, is going after Russ Vought. Democrats are backed into a corner over the shutdown. Plus, Des Moines, Iowa, had itself a criminal illegal alien as their school superintendent.
Lefty violence and lots of other headlines to reframe for you~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Politics, Corporate AI Expense Reduction, Squirrel Attacks, MAHA Successes, Ex-President Sarkozy Jailed, Scott Bessent, Bessent Warns NYC, Oklahoma Schools, Casey DeSantis, FL Cancer Innovation Fund, Ivermectin, President Trump, Kamala Harris, Right vs Left Rhetoric, Democrats Promoting Violence, UN Escalator, UN Teleprompter, UN Sound System, Joshua Jahn ICE Shooting, JD Vance, ABC News Greenberg Documentary, Josh Shapiro, Clinton Global Initiative, Gavin Newsom 2028, Hillary Clinton, Pro-Violence Brainwashing, James Comey, Antifa Domestic Terrorist Arrests, Incompetent Congress, Russ Vought, Mass Fed Firing Threat, Black-American Advantage, Jezebel Witches Cursed Kirk, Denmark Drone Incursions, Ukraine War, EU Energy Stupidity, Cartel Drone Warfare Training, Greta Thunberg Flotilla, Scott Adams
The looming government shutdown — now just days away — has escalated dramatically. Russ Vought, Trump's former OMB director and the key architect behind the original administration firings, circulated a memo this week warning agencies to prepare for a “reduction in force” if funding lapses. The message was clear: if there's a shutdown, he plans to fire as many people as possible and make those firings stick. In his words, the Democrats would be handing him a gift. It's what he's always wanted to do, and he's daring them to let it happen.Democrats, for their part, view this as a scare tactic, a way to push them into passing a clean continuing resolution. They've been offered essentially the best deal possible under GOP control: Biden-era spending levels and no controversial riders. Still, they're rejecting it. Even lawmakers from districts and states with large numbers of federal employees — Chris Van Hollen, Glenn Ivey, Patty Murray, Mark Warner — are standing firm. For them, this is about resisting what they see as Trump-aligned plans to gut the federal workforce.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Some Republicans are framing the mass firing threat as leverage, not a goal. Bernie Moreno said he supports the memo as a negotiating tactic but wants to avoid a shutdown. Susan Collins and Mike Lawler both expressed discomfort with using federal workers as bargaining chips but pointed out that the solution is simple: just vote for the clean CR. Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, is pressing hard, accusing Democrats of preferring illegal immigrants to federal employees by insisting on funding Obamacare and Medicare subsidies that Republicans argue benefit non-citizens.So where does that leave us? A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass, and the President fails to sign, either the full appropriations bill or a continuing resolution before the start of the fiscal year. When that happens, agencies are prohibited from spending money, except on activities deemed essential to life, property, or national security. Non-essential employees are furloughed, contractors go unpaid, and essential workers like the military and TSA keep working without pay. We're set to enter this world on October 1st.Everything from passport processing to regulatory enforcement gets paused. Federal contractors, especially in areas around DC, take a huge financial hit. Social security checks, Medicare, and mail delivery continue. And while federal workers usually get back pay, contractors often don't. A shutdown only ends when Congress passes and the President signs a funding bill. That's why I say this isn't an “if,” but a “when.” The government will shut down; the only question is how long Democrats are willing to hold out before taking the same deal they're rejecting now. I don't think it'll be long. This isn't their kind of fight, and they're about to find out why.Chapters00:00 - Intro03:12 - 107 Days06:30 - Gov Shutdown15:30 - Update15:49 - Hegseth Meeting18:04 - Kimmel Ratings19:44 - TikTok20:43 - Interview with Tom Merritt55:49 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe
Jon Herold tackles the looming government shutdown, breaking down how Democrats' spending demands and Trump's clean CR strategy set the stage for potential mass firings across federal agencies. He digs into OMB memos from Russ Vought outlining “reductions in force” and explains why this round feels different from past shutdown rugs. The episode also explores the Pentagon's rare order summoning hundreds of generals to Quantico, sparking speculation about what could necessitate such an in-person gathering. From the Dallas ICE facility shooting and FBI updates, to DOJ's investigation into Soros's Open Society Foundations, to Jimmy Kimmel's ratings spike after his suspension, Jon connects the dots on narratives, psyops, and accountability. Add in Trump's latest Truth Social posts on election fraud, Comey's possible indictment, and foreign aid reallocation, and this episode delivers a sharp, detailed rundown of the battles shaping America's future.
9/25/2025 PODCAST Episode #3040 GUESTS: Tom Pyle, Dave Bossie, Rep. Van Orden, Sheriff Mack+ YOUR CALLS! at 1-888-480-JOHN (5646) and GETTR Live! @jfradioshow #GodzillaOfTruth #TruckingTheTruth
On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck is joined by former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra for a deep dive into the role of the agency and the broader fight to regulate powerful financial institutions. Chopra explains why the agency has struggled to gain footing in Washington, the skepticism the public feels toward banks, and how past regulatory failures contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. They discuss how the CFPB uncovered systemic abuses, the resistance it faces from well-funded interests, and the ongoing debate over who should regulate emerging sectors like cryptocurrency and consumer data.The conversation also tackles the independence of the Federal Reserve, the risks of politicizing monetary policy, and how unchecked corporate power—from Wall Street to Silicon Valley—continues to shape the economy. Chopra pulls back the curtain on algorithmic lending practices, the dangers of personalized pricing, and why fines alone aren't enough to hold companies accountable. From junk fees to crypto, from AI abuse to executive impunity, this episode explores why Americans are increasingly demanding regulators who stand up to entrenched financial interests—and why another populist economic revolt may be closer than we think.Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!Timeline:(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)00:00 Rohit Chopra joins the Chuck ToddCast01:45 Why has it been so difficult for the CFPB to take root in DC?02:30 The public is skeptical of financial institutions03:15 What exactly is the CFPB and what is it supposed to do?04:45 The fed board wasn't regulating leading up to financial crisis06:00 Why were prior regulators ineffective?06:45 The CFPB has discovered multiple systemic abuses07:30 Multiple companies settled, and new head of CFPB is ripping them up08:30 Russ Vought is currently running the CFPB09:45 What's the difference between the FTC and the CFPB?10:45 CFPB is responsible for regulating all financial institutions/lenders12:30 Voters from both parties benefit from the CFPB protecting them13:15 Deep pocketed interests want to defang the regulators13:45 Who should be regulating crypto?14:30 Is crypto a stock or a commodity?16:00 Data from stablecoins can be used for targeting consumers17:00 Which agency should protect Americans from abuse of their data?18:45 Trump attempting to make more direct control of the Fed19:30 The founders were against the president controlling the money supply21:45 Federal Reserve hasn't been independent under Trump23:15 The fed has saved the economy twice, but may not if corrupted24:15 Inflation is just one piece of the equation if the fed loses independence26:15 Libertarians argue against having a fed, what's the counter argument?28:15 The fed should be focused on the entire economy and not just Wall St30:00 Big moneyed interests wield huge power to avoid regulation31:00 Did you ever look under the hood of a lending company's algorithm?34:00 We need to outlaw AI being used for personal pricing35:00 What is the legal justification for personalizing pricing?37:30 The administration is destroying financial law enforcement38:45 No consequences for bad behavior by banks & corporations40:00 Fines aren't a deterrent, criminal charges are42:15 Tech companies are never held accountable43:45 How did you become a financial regulator?46:45 Prior generations had an easier path to financial stability48:00 Who deserved to be brought up on criminal charges for the financial crisis?49:00 So many investigations were never even started after crisis51:00 Potential market disruptions dissuaded DOJ from prosecuting executives53:00 Federal agencies give white glove treatment to big firms54:00 We are close to another populist economic revolt55:45 Americans want the government to stand up to private interests58:15 The CFPB helped eliminate billions of dollars in junk fees Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Chuck Todd unpacks the fallout from Charlie Kirk's assassination and what it means for public displays of democracy, as lawmakers debate whether fear should keep them from showing up for their constituents. He also dives into explosive Senate testimony from former CDC director Dr. Monarez, who detailed political interference in vaccine policy under the Trump administration. The conversation shifts to the economic strain of tariffs and subsidy cuts—driving up everything from prescription drugs to coffee prices—alongside predictions of mass white-collar job losses fueled by AI. From Trump's push to end quarterly earnings reports to the unresolved fight over TikTok, he highlights how politics, economics, and technology are colliding in ways that test both government accountability and public trust.Then, he's joined by former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra for a deep dive into the role of the agency and the broader fight to regulate powerful financial institutions. Chopra explains why the agency has struggled to gain footing in Washington, the skepticism the public feels toward banks, and how past regulatory failures contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. They discuss how the CFPB uncovered systemic abuses, the resistance it faces from well-funded interests, and the ongoing debate over who should regulate emerging sectors like cryptocurrency and consumer data.The conversation also tackles the independence of the Federal Reserve, the risks of politicizing monetary policy, and how unchecked corporate power—from Wall Street to Silicon Valley—continues to shape the economy. Chopra pulls back the curtain on algorithmic lending practices, the dangers of personalized pricing, and why fines alone aren't enough to hold companies accountable. From junk fees to crypto, from AI abuse to executive impunity, this episode explores why Americans are increasingly demanding regulators who stand up to entrenched financial interests—and why another populist economic revolt may be closer than we think.Finally, he answers listeners' questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and previews the upcoming weekend in college football.Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!Timeline:(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)00:00 Introduction02:00 Will we have public displays of democracy after Kirk's death?02:30 Lawmakers are reconsidering public events04:00 If public servants are afraid of the public, they need to leave public service05:30 Lawmakers should take precautions, but they have to show up06:30 Social media platforms suppress content criticizing them08:30 Former CDC director Dr. Monarez testified before senate committee09:30 Trump nominated Dr. Monarez in March 202511:00 Dr. Monarez was fired less than a month after swearing12:45 Kennedy instructed Monarez not to interact with members of congress14:00 Monarez testifies Kennedy had no science backing change in vaccine schedule15:30 Chief of staff at HHS says there would be political review of scientific data17:30 Monarez says the no evidence support change to under 2 vaccine schedule18:45 Republican senators seemed troubled by the testimony19:45 You have to be skeptical of any info that comes from the Trump admin21:00 Prescription drug prices skyrocketing due to tariffs & subsidy cuts23:00 Coffee prices will become the new gas prices as bellwether for economy25:00 Tariff impacts are really starting to show up in the economy26:00 Anthropic predicting massive job losses in the white collar sector26:45 Mark Kelly proposes AI companies set up special fund to offset job losses28:30 Trump comes out against quarterly earnings reports29:30 Quarterly reports make companies focus on short term profits31:15 Investors punish long term focus from companies and it's unhealthy32:00 Trump's motives are always questionable, but this isn't a bad policy34:00 A functional congress, wouldn't let the Chinese run TikTok's algorithm post-sale36:00 Why bother with TikTok ban at all37:15 Major corporations view fines as the cost of doing business40:15 Rohit Chopra joins the Chuck ToddCast 42:00 Why has it been so difficult for the CFPB to take root in DC? 42:45 The public is skeptical of financial institutions 43:30 What exactly is the CFPB and what is it supposed to do? 45:00 The fed board wasn't regulating leading up to financial crisis 46:15 Why were prior regulators ineffective? 47:00 The CFPB has discovered multiple systemic abuses 47:45 Multiple companies settled, and new head of CFPB is ripping them up 48:45 Russ Vought is currently running the CFPB 50:00 What's the difference between the FTC and the CFPB? 51:00 CFPB is responsible for regulating all financial institutions/lenders 52:45 Voters from both parties benefit from the CFPB protecting them 53:30 Deep pocketed interests want to defang the regulators 54:00 Who should be regulating crypto? 54:45 Is crypto a stock or a commodity? 56:15 Data from stablecoins can be used for targeting consumers 57:15 Which agency should protect Americans from abuse of their data? 59:00 Trump attempting to make more direct control of the Fed 59:45 The founders were against the president controlling the money supply 1:02:00 Federal Reserve hasn't been independent under Trump 1:03:30 The fed has saved the economy twice, but may not if corrupted 1:04:30 Inflation is just one piece of the equation if the fed loses independence 1:06:30 Libertarians argue against having a fed, what's the counter argument? 1:08:30 The fed should be focused on the entire economy and not just Wall St 1:10:15 Big moneyed interests wield huge power to avoid regulation 1:11:15 Did you ever look under the hood of a lending company's algorithm? 1:14:15 We need to outlaw AI being used for personal pricing 1:15:15 What is the legal justification for personalizing pricing? 1:17:45 The administration is destroying financial law enforcement 1:19:00 No consequences for bad behavior by banks & corporations 1:20:15 Fines aren't a deterrent, criminal charges are 1:22:30 Tech companies are never held accountable 1:24:00 How did you become a financial regulator? 1:27:00 Prior generations had an easier path to financial stability 1:28:15 Who deserved to be brought up on criminal charges for the financial crisis? 1:29:15 So many investigations were never even started after crisis 1:31:15 Potential market disruptions dissuaded DOJ from prosecuting executives 1:33:15 Federal agencies give white glove treatment to big firms 1:34:15 We are close to another populist economic revolt 1:36:00 Americans want the government to stand up to private interests 1:38:30 The CFPB helped billions of dollars in junk fees1:40:45 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Rohit Chopra 1:42:30 Ask Chuck 1:42:45 If state senates duplicate their districts, why have the districts at all? 1:48:00 Why doesn't Minnesota get swing state attention like other midwest states? 1:56:15 Should we stop treating real debate the same as clickbait debate? 2:00:15 Is there any benefit to parties besides the rich being able to push their agenda? 2:05:45 College football preview - Miami vs. Florida 2:12:00 The Iron Skillet SMU vs TCU Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Supreme Court used the shadow docket to legalize racial profiling, although only Justice Kavanaugh was dumb enough to admit it out loud. It also overturned Humphrey's Executor, but this time even Kav wouldn't cop to it. Meanwhile at the White House, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought discovers ONE WEIRD trick to steal Congress's power of the purse. And the Second Circuit confirms, Alina Habba is still very bad at her job. Links: White House Prayer Executive Order https://www.whitehouse.gov/america250/america-prays/ SCOTUS Shadow Docket Order Trump v. Slaughter https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/090825zr_4f15.pdf Second Circuit Order Carroll v. Trump 1 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca2.e508a4b2-feae-4592-a6dc-d30f9ed35bb6/gov.uscourts.ca2.e508a4b2-feae-4592-a6dc-d30f9ed35bb6.134.1_1.pdf SCOTUS Docket Trump v. Vasquez Perdomo https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25a169.html White House “pocket rescission” announcement (Aug. 29, 2025) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/08/historic-pocket-rescission-package-eliminates-woke-weaponized-and-wasteful-spending/ AIDS Vaccine Coalition v. State https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277333/gov.uscourts.dcd.277333.145.0_4.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
Russ Vought talks the economy and politics and how Trump's agenda is shaping both Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today I'm talking to economic historian Judge Glock, Director of Research at the Manhattan Institute. Judge works on a lot of topics: if you enjoy this episode, I'd encourage you to read some of his work on housing markets and the Environmental Protection Agency. But I cornered him today to talk about civil service reform.Since the 1990s, over 20 red and blue states have made radical changes to how they hire and fire government employees — changes that would be completely outside the Overton window at the federal level. A paper by Judge and Renu Mukherjee lists four reforms made by states like Texas, Florida, and Georgia: * At-will employment for state workers* The elimination of collective bargaining agreements* Giving managers much more discretion to hire* Giving managers much more discretion in how they pay employeesJudge finds decent evidence that the reforms have improved the effectiveness of state governments, and little evidence of the politicization that federal reformers fear. Meanwhile, in Washington, managers can't see applicants' resumes, keyword searches determine who gets hired, and firing a bad performer can take years. But almost none of these ideas are on the table in Washington.Thanks to Harry Fletcher-Wood for his judicious transcript edits and fact-checking, and to Katerina Barton for audio edits.Judge, you have a paper out about lessons for civil service reform from the states. Since the ‘90s, red and blue states have made big changes to how they hire and fire people. Walk through those changes for me.I was born and grew up in Washington DC, heard a lot about civil service throughout my childhood, and began to research it as an adult. But I knew almost nothing about the state civil service systems. When I began working in the states — mainly across the Sunbelt, including in Texas, Kansas, Arizona — I was surprised to learn that their civil service systems were reformed to an absolutely radical extent relative to anything proposed at the federal level, let alone implemented.Starting in the 1990s, several states went to complete at-will employment. That means there were no official civil service protections for any state employees. Some managers were authorized to hire people off the street, just like you could in the private sector. A manager meets someone in a coffee shop, they say, "I'm looking for exactly your role. Why don't you come on board?" At the federal level, with its stultified hiring process, it seemed absurd to even suggest something like that.You had states that got rid of any collective bargaining agreements with their public employee unions. You also had states that did a lot more broadbanding [creating wider pay bands] for employee pay: a lot more discretion for managers to reward or penalize their employees depending on their performance.These major reforms in these states were, from the perspective of DC, incredibly radical. Literally nobody at the federal level proposes anything approximating what has been in place for decades in the states. That should be more commonly known, and should infiltrate the debate on civil service reform in DC.Even though the evidence is not absolutely airtight, on the whole these reforms have been positive. A lot of the evidence is surveys asking managers and operators in these states how they think it works. They've generally been positive. We know these states operate pretty well: Places like Texas, Florida, and Arizona rank well on state capacity metrics in terms of cost of government, time for permitting, and other issues.Finally, to me the most surprising thing is the dog that didn't bark. The argument in the federal government against civil service reform is, “If you do this, we will open up the gates of hell and return to the 19th-century patronage system, where spoilsmen come and go depending on elected officials, and the government is overrun with political appointees who don't care about the civil service.” That has simply not happened. We have very few reports of any concrete examples of politicization at the state level. In surveys, state employees and managers can almost never remember any example of political preferences influencing hiring or firing.One of the surveys you cited asked, “Can you think of a time someone said that they thought that the political preferences were a factor in civil service hiring?” and it was something like 5%.It was in that 5-10% range. I don't think you'd find a dissimilar number of people who would say that even in an official civil service system. Politics is not completely excluded even from a formal civil service system.A few weeks ago, you and I talked to our mutual friend, Don Moynihan, who's a scholar of public administration. He's more skeptical about the evidence that civil service reform would be positive at the federal level.One of your points is, “We don't have strong negative evidence from the states. Productivity didn't crater in states that moved to an at-will employment system.” We do have strong evidence that collective bargaining in the public sector is bad for productivity.What I think you and Don would agree on is that we could use more evidence on the hiring and firing side than the surveys that we have. Is that a fair assessment?Yes, I think that's correct. As you mentioned, the evidence on collective bargaining is pretty close to universal: it raises costs, reduces the efficiency of government, and has few to no positive upsides.On hiring and firing, I mentioned a few studies. There's a 2013 study that looks at HR managers in six states and finds very little evidence of politicization, and managers generally prefer the new system. There was a dissertation that surveyed several employees and managers in civil service reform and non-reform states. Across the board, the at-will employment states said they had better hiring retention, productivity, and so forth. And there's a 2002 study that looked specifically at Texas, Florida, and Georgia after their reforms, and found almost universal approbation inside the civil service itself for these reforms.These are not randomized control trials. But I think that generally positive evidence should point us directionally where we should go on civil service reform. If we loosen restrictions on discipline and firing, decentralize hiring and so forth — we probably get some productivity benefits from it. We can also know, with some amount of confidence, that the sky is not going to fall, which I think is a very important baseline assumption. The civil service system will continue on and probably be fairly close to what it is today, in terms of its political influence, if you have decentralized hiring and at-will employment.As you point out, a lot of these reforms that have happened in 20-odd states since the ‘90s would be totally outside the Overton window at the federal level. Why is it so easy for Georgia to make a bipartisan move in the ‘90s to at-will employment, when you couldn't raise the topic at the federal level?It's a good question. I think in the 1990s, a lot of people thought a combination of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act — which was the Carter-era act that somewhat attempted to do what these states hoped to do in the 1990s — and the Clinton-era Reinventing Government Initiative, would accomplish the same ends. That didn't happen.That was an era when civil service reform was much more bipartisan. In Georgia, it was a Democratic governor, Zell Miller, who pushed it. In a lot of these other states, they got buy-in from both sides. The recent era of state reform took place after the 2010 Republican wave in the states. Since that wave, the reform impetus for civil service has been much more Republican. That has meant it's been a lot harder to get buy-in from both sides at the federal level, which will be necessary to overcome a filibuster.I think people know it has to be very bipartisan. We're just past the point, at least at the moment, where it can be bipartisan at the federal level. But there are areas where there's a fair amount of overlap between the two sides on what needs to happen, at least in the upper reaches of the civil service.It was interesting to me just how bipartisan civil service reform has been at various times. You talked about the Civil Service Reform Act, which passed Congress in 1978. President Carter tells Congress that the civil service system:“Has become a bureaucratic maze which neglects merit, tolerates poor performance, permits abuse of legitimate employee rights, and mires every personnel action in red tape, delay, and confusion.”That's a Democratic president saying that. It's striking to me that the civil service was not the polarized topic that it is today.Absolutely. Carter was a big civil service reformer in Georgia before those even larger 1990s reforms. He campaigned on civil service reform and thought it was essential to the success of his presidency. But I think you are seeing little sprouts of potential bipartisanship today, like the Chance to Compete Act at the end of 2024, and some of the reforms Obama did to the hiring process. There's options for bipartisanship at the federal level, even if it can't approach what the states have done.I want to walk through the federal hiring process. Let's say you're looking to hire in some federal agency — you pick the agency — and I graduated college recently, and I want to go into the civil service. Tell me about trying to hire somebody like me. What's your first step?It's interesting you bring up the college graduate, because that is one recent reform: President Trump put out an executive order trying to counsel agencies to remove the college degree requirement for job postings. This happened in a lot of states first, like Maryland, and that's also been bipartisan. This requirement for a college degree — which was used as a very unfortunate proxy for ability at a lot of these jobs — is now being removed. It's not across the whole federal government. There's still job postings that require higher education degrees, but that's something that's changed.To your question, let's say the Department of Transportation. That's one of the more bipartisan ones, when you look at surveys of federal civil servants. Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, they tend to be a little more Republican. Health and Human Services and some other agencies tend to be pretty Democrat. Transportation is somewhere in the middle.As a manager, you try to craft a job description and posting to go up on the USA Jobs website, which is where all federal job postings go. When they created it back in 1996, that was supposedly a massive reform to federal hiring: this website where people could submit their resumes. Then, people submit their resumes and answer questions about their qualifications for the job.One of the slightly different aspects from the private sector is that those applications usually go to an HR specialist first. The specialist reviews everything and starts to rank people into different categories, based on a lot of weird things. It's supposed to be “knowledge, skills, and abilities” — your KSAs, or competencies. To some extent, this is a big step up from historical practice. You had, frankly, an absurd civil service exam, where people had to fill out questions about, say, General Grant or about US Code Title 42, or whatever it was, and then submit it. Someone rated the civil service exam, and then the top three test-takers were eligible for the job.We have this newer, better system, where we rank on knowledge, skills, and abilities, and HR puts put people into different categories. One of the awkward ways they do this is by merely scanning the resumes and applications for keywords. If it's a computer job, make sure you say the word “computer” somewhere in your resume. Make sure you say “manager” if it's a managerial job.Just to be clear, this is entirely literal. There's a keyword search, and folks who don't pass that search are dinged.Yes. I've always wondered, how common is this? It's sometimes hard to know what happens in the black box in these federal HR departments. I saw an HR official recently say, "If I'm not allowed to do keyword searches, I'm going to take 15 years to overlook all the applications, so I've got to do keyword searches." If they don't have the keywords, into the circular file it goes, as they used to say: into the garbage can.Then they start ranking people on their abilities into, often, three different categories. That is also very literal. If you put in the little word bubble, "I am an exceptional manager," you get pushed on into the next level of the competition. If you say, "I'm pretty good, but I'm not the best," into the circular file you go.I've gotten jaded about this, but it really is shocking. We ask candidates for a self-assessment, and if they just rank themselves 10/10 on everything, no matter how ludicrous, that improves their odds of being hired.That's going to immensely improve your odds. Similar to the keyword search, there's been pushback on this in recent years, and I'm definitely not going to say it's universal anymore. It's rarer than it used to be. But it's still a very common process.The historical civil service system used to operate on a rule of three. In places like New York, it still operates like that. The top three candidates on the evaluation system get presented to the manager, and the manager has to approve one of them for the position.Thanks partially to reforms by the Obama administration in 2010, they have this category rating system where the best qualified or the very qualified get put into a big bucket together [instead of only including the top three]. Those are the people that the person doing the hiring gets to see, evaluate, and decide who he wants to hire.There are some restrictions on that. If a veteran outranks everybody else, you've got to pick the veteran [typically known as Veterans' Preference]. That was an issue in some of the state civil service reforms, too. The states said, “We're just going to encourage a veterans' preference. We don't need a formalized system to say they get X number of points and have to be in Y category. We're just going to say, ‘Try to hire veterans.'” That's possible without the formal system, despite what some opponents of reform may claim.One of the particular problems here is just the nature of the people doing the hiring. Sometimes you just need good managers to encourage HR departments to look at a broader set of qualifications. But one of the bigger problems is that they keep the HR evaluation system divorced from the manager who is doing the hiring. David Shulkin, who was the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), wrote a great book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country. He was a healthcare exec, and the VA is mainly a healthcare agency. He would tell people, "You should work for me," they would send their applications into the HR void, and he'd never see them again. They would get blocked at some point in this HR evaluation process, and he'd be sent people with no healthcare experience, because for whatever reason they did well in the ranking.One of the very base-level reforms should be, “How can we more clearly integrate the hiring manager with the evaluation process?” To some extent, the bipartisan Chance to Compete Act tries to do this. They said, “You should have subject matter experts who are part of crafting the description of the job, are part of evaluating, and so forth.” But there's still a long road to go.Does that firewall — where the person who wants to hire doesn't get to look at the process until the end — exist originally because of concerns about cronyism?One of the interesting things about the civil service is its raison d'être — its reason for being — was supposedly a single, clear purpose: to prevent politicized hiring and patronage. That goes back to the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. But it's always been a little strange that you have all of these very complex rules about every step of the process — from hiring to firing to promotion, and everything in between — to prevent political influence. We could just focus on preventing political influence, and not regulate every step of the process on the off-chance that without a clear regulation, political influence could creep in. This division [between hiring manager and applicants] is part of that general concern. There are areas where I've heard HR specialists say, "We declare that a manager is a subject matter expert, and we bring them into the process early on, we can do that." But still the division is pretty stark, and it's based on this excessive concern about patronage.One point you flag is that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is the body that thinks about personnel in the federal government, has a 300-page regulatory document for agencies on how you have to hire. There's a remarkable amount of process.Yes, but even that is a big change from the Federal Personnel Manual, which was the 10,000-page document that we shredded in the 1990s. In the ‘90s, OPM gave the agencies what's called “delegated examining authorities.” This says, “You, agency, have power to decide who to hire, we're not going to do the central supervision anymore. But, but, but: here's the 300-page document that dictates exactly how you have to carry out that hiring.”So we have some decentralization, allowing managers more authority to control their own departments. But this two-level oversight — a local HR department that's ultimately being overseen by the OPM — also leads to a lot of slip ‘twixt cup and lip, in terms of how something gets implemented. If you're in the agency and you're concerned about the OPM overseeing your process, you're likely to be much more careful than you would like to be. “Yes, it's delegated to me, but ultimately, I know I have to answer to OPM about this process. I'm just going to color within the lines.”I often cite Texas, which has no central HR office. Each agency decides how it wants to hire. In a lot of these reform states, if there is a central personnel office, it's an information clearinghouse or reservoir of models. “You can use us, the central HR office, as a resource if you want us to help you post the job, evaluate it, or help manage your processes, but you don't have to.” That's the goal we should be striving for in a lot of the federal reforms. Just make OPM a resource for the managers in the individual departments to do their thing or go independent.Let's say I somehow get through the hiring process. You offer me a job at the Department of Transportation. What are you paying me?This is one of the more stultified aspects of the federal civil service system. OPM has another multi-hundred-page handbook called the Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families. Inside that, you've got 49 different “groups and families,” like “Clerical occupations.” Inside those 49 groups are a series of jobs, sometimes dozens, like “Computer Operator.” Inside those, they have independent documents — often themselves dozens of pages long — detailing classes of positions. Then you as a manager have to evaluate these nine factors, which can each give points to each position, which decides how you get slotted into this weird Government Schedule (GS) system [the federal payscale].Again, this is actually an improvement. Before, you used to have the Civil Service Commission, which went around staring very closely at someone over their typewriter and saying, "No, I think you should be a GS-12, not a GS-11, because someone over in the Department of Defense who does your same job is a GS-12." Now this is delegated to agencies, but again, the agencies have to listen to the OPM on how to classify and set their jobs into this 15-stage GS-classification system, each stage of which has 10 steps which determine your pay, and those steps are determined mainly by your seniority. It's a formalized step-by-step system, overwhelmingly based on just how long you've sat at your desk.Let's be optimistic about my performance as a civil servant. Say that over my first three years, I'm just hitting it out of the park. Can you give me a raise? What can you do to keep me in my role?Not too much. For most people, the within-step increases — those 10 steps inside each GS-level — is just set by seniority. Now there are all these quality step increases you can get, but they're very rare and they have to be documented. So you could hypothetically pay someone more, but it's going to be tough. In general, the managers just prefer to stick to seniority, because not sticking to it garners a lot of complaints. Like so much else, the goal is, "We don't want someone rewarding an official because they happen to share their political preferences." The result of that concern is basically nobody can get rewarded at all, which is very unfortunate.We do have examples in state and federal government of what's known as broadbanding, where you have very broad pay scales, and the manager can decide where to slot someone. Say you're a computer operator, which can mean someone who knows what an Excel spreadsheet is, or someone who's programming the most advanced AI systems. As a manager in South Carolina or Florida, you have a lot of discretion to say, "I can set you 50% above the market rate of what this job technically would go for, if I think you're doing a great job."That's very rare at the federal level. They've done broadbanding at the Government Accountability Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The China Lake Experiment out in California gave managers a lot more discretion to reward scientists. But that's definitely the exception. In general, it's a step-wise, seniority-based system.What if you want to bring me into the Senior Executive Service (SES)? Theoretically, that sits at the top of the General Service scale. Can't you bump me up in there and pay me what you owe me?I could hypothetically bring you in as a senior executive servant. The SES was created in the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. The idea was, “We're going to have this elite cadre of about 8,000 individuals at the top of the federal government, whose employment will be higher-risk and higher-reward. They might be fired, and we're going to give them higher pay to compensate for that.”Almost immediately, that did not work out. Congress was outraged at the higher pay given to the top officials and capped it. Ever since, how much the SES can get paid has been tightly controlled. As in most of the rest of the federal government, where they establish these performance pay incentives or bonuses — which do exist — they spread them like peanut butter over the whole service. To forestall complaints, everyone gets a little bit every two or three years.That's basically what happened to the SES. Their annual pay is capped at the vice president's salary, which is a cap for a lot of people in the federal government. For most of your GS and other executive scales, the cap is Congress's salary. [NB: This is no longer exactly true, since Congress froze its own salaries in 2009. The cap for GS (currently about $195k) is now above congressional salaries ($174k).]One of the big problems with pay in the federal government is pay compression. Across civil service systems, the highest-skilled people tend to be paid much less than the private sector, and the lowest-skilled people tend to get paid much more. The political science reason for that is pretty simple: the median voter in America still decides what seems reasonable. To the median voter, the average salary of a janitor looks low, and the average salary of a scientist looks way too high. Hence this tendency to pay compression. Your average federal employee is probably overpaid relative to the private sector, because the lowest-skilled employees are paid up to 40% higher than the private sector equivalent. The highest-paid employees, the post-graduate skilled professionals, are paid less. That makes it hard to recruit the top performers, but it also swells the wage budget in a way that makes it difficult to talk about reform.There's a lot of interest in this administration in making it easier to recruit talent and get rid of under-performers. There have been aggressive pushes to limit collective bargaining in the public sector. That should theoretically make it easier to recruit, but it also increases the precariousness of civil service roles. We've seen huge firings in the civil service over the last six months.Classically, the explicit trade-off of working in the federal government was, “Your pay is going to be capped, but you have this job for life. It's impossible to get rid of you.” You trade some lifetime earnings for stability. In a world where the stability is gone, but pay is still capped, isn't the net effect to drive talent away from the civil service?I think it's a concern now. On one level it should be ameliorated, because those who are most concerned with stability of employment do tend to be lower performers. If you have people who are leaving the federal service because all they want is stability, and they're not getting that anymore, that may not be a net loss. As someone who came out of academia and knows the wonder of effective lifetime annuities, there can be very high performers who like that stability who therefore take a lower salary. Without the ability to bump that pay up more, it's going to be an issue.I do know that, internally, the Trump administration has made some signs they're open to reforms in the top tiers of the SES and other parts of the federal government. They would be willing to have people get paid more at that level to compensate for the increased risks since the Trump administration came in. But when you look at the reductions in force (RIFs) that have happened under Trump, they are overwhelmingly among probationary employees, the lower-level employees.With some exceptions. If you've been promoted recently, you can get reclassified as probationary, so some high-performers got lumped in.Absolutely. The issue has been exacerbated precisely because the RIF regulations that are in place have made the firings particularly damaging. If you had a more streamlined RIF system — which they do have in many states, where seniority is not the main determinant of who gets laid off — these RIFs could be removing the lower-performing civil servants and keeping the higher-performing ones, and giving them some amount of confidence in their tenure.Unfortunately, the combination of large-scale removals with the existing RIF regs, which are very stringent, has demoralized some of the upper levels of the federal government. I share that concern. But I might add, it is interesting, if you look at the federal government's own figures on the total civil service workforce, they have gone down significantly since Trump came in office, but I think less than 100,000 still, in the most recent numbers that I've seen. I'm not sure how much to trust those, versus some of these other numbers where people have said 150,000, 200,000.Whether the Trump administration or a future administration can remove large numbers of people from the civil service should be somewhat divorced from the general conversation on civil service reform. The main debate about whether or not Trump can do this centers around how much power the appropriators in Congress have to determine the total amount of spending in particular agencies on their workforce. It does not depend necessarily on, "If we're going to remove people — whether for general layoffs, or reductions in force, or because of particular performance issues — how can we go about doing that?" My last-ditch hope to maintain a bipartisan possibility of civil service reform is to bracket, “How much power does the president have to remove or limit the workforce in general?” from “How can he go about hiring and firing, et cetera?”I think making it easier for the president to identify and remove poor performers is a tool that any future administration would like to have.We had this conversation sparked again with the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner. But that was a position Congress set up to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and removable by the President. It's a separate issue from civil service at large. Everyone said, “We want the president to be able to hire and fire the commissioner.” Maybe firing the commissioner was a bad decision, but that's the situation today.Attentive listeners to Statecraft know I'm pretty critical, like you are, of the regulations that say you have to go in order of seniority. In mass layoffs, you're required to fire a lot of the young, talented people.But let's talk about individual firings. I've been a terrible civil servant, a nightmarish employee from day one. You want to discipline, remove, suspend, or fire me. What are your options?Anybody who has worked in the civil service knows it's hard to fire bad performers. Whatever their political valence, whatever they feel about the civil service system, they have horror stories about a person who just couldn't be removed.In the early 2010s, a spate of stories came out about air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. Then-transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, made a big public announcement: "I'm going to fire these three guys." After these big announcements, it turned out he was only able to remove one of them. One retired, and another had their firing reduced to a suspension.You had another horrific story where a man was joking on the phone with friends when a plane crashed into a helicopter and killed nine people over the Hudson River. National outcry. They said, "We're going to fire this guy." In the end, after going through the process, he only got a suspension. Everyone agrees it's too hard.The basic story is, you have two ways to fire someone. Chapter 75, the old way, is often considered the realm of misconduct: You've stolen something from the office, punched your colleague in the face during a dispute about the coffee, something illegal or just straight-out wrong. We get you under Chapter 75.The 1978 Civil Service Reform Act added Chapter 43, which is supposed to be the performance-based system to remove someone. As with so much of that Civil Service Reform Act, the people who passed it thought this might be the beginning of an entirely different system.In the end, lots of federal managers say there's not a huge difference between the two. Some use 75, some use 43. If you use 43, you have to document very clearly what the person did wrong. You have to put them on a performance improvement plan. If they failed a performance improvement plan after a certain amount of time, they can respond to any claims about what they did wrong. Then, they can take that process up to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and claim that they were incorrectly fired, or that the processes weren't carried out appropriately. Then, if they want to, they can say, “Nah, I don't like the order I got,” and take it up to federal courts and complain there. Right now, the MSPB doesn't have a full quorum, which is complicating some of the recent removal disputes.You have this incredibly difficult process, unlike the private sector, where your boss looks at you and says, "I don't like how you're giving me the stink-eye today. Out you go." One could say that's good or bad, but, on the whole, I think the model should be closer to the private sector. We should trust managers to do their job without excessive oversight and process. That's clearly about as far from the realm of possibility as the current system, under which the estimate is 6-12 months to fire a very bad performer. The number of people who win at the Merit Systems Protection Board is still 20-30%.This goes into another issue, which is unionization. If you're part of a collective bargaining agreement — most of the regular federal civil service is — first, you have to go with this independent, union-based arbitration and grievance procedure. You're about 50/50 to win on those if your boss tries to remove you.So if I'm in the union, we go through that arbitration grievance system. If you win and I'm fired, I can take it to the Merit Systems Protection Board. If you win again, I can still take it to the federal courts.You can file different sorts of claims at each part. On Chapter 43, the MSPB is supposed to be about the process, not the evidence, and you just have to show it was followed. On 75, the manager has to show by preponderance of the evidence that the employee is harming the agency. Then there are different standards for what you take to the courts, and different standards according to each collective bargaining agreement for the grievance procedure when someone is disciplined. It's a very complicated, abstruse, and procedure-heavy process that makes it very difficult to remove people, which is why the involuntary separation rate at the federal government and most state governments is many multiples lower than the private sector.So, you would love to get me off your team because I'm abysmal. But you have no stomach for going through this whole process and I'm going to fight it. I'm ornery and contrarian and will drag this fight out. In practice, what do managers in the federal government do with their poor performers?I always heard about this growing up. There's the windowless office in the basement without a phone, or now an internet connection. You place someone down there, hope they get the message, and sooner or later they leave. But for plenty of people in America, that's the dream job. You just get to sit and nobody bothers you for eight hours. You punch in at 9 and punch out at 5, and that's your day. "Great. I'll collect that salary for another 10 years." But generally you just try to make life unpleasant for that person.Public sector collective bargaining in the US is new. I tend to think of it as just how the civil service works. But until about 50 years ago, there was no collective bargaining in the public sector.At the state level, it started with Wisconsin at the end of the 1950s. There were famous local government reforms beginning with the Little Wagner Act [signed in 1958] in New York City. Senator Robert Wagner had created the National Labor Relations Board. His son Robert F. Wagner Jr., mayor of New York, created the first US collective bargaining system at the local level in the ‘60s. In ‘62, John F. Kennedy issued an executive order which said, "We're going to deal officially with public sector unions,” but it was all informal and non-statutory.It wasn't until Title VII of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that unions had a formal, statutory role in our federal service system. This is shockingly new. To some extent, that was the great loss to many civil service reformers in ‘78. They wanted to get through a lot of these other big reforms about hiring and firing, but they gave up on the unions to try to get those. Some people think that exception swallowed the rest of the rules. The union power that was garnered in ‘78 overcame the other reforms people hoped to accomplish. Soon, you had the majority of the federal workforce subject to collective bargaining.But that's changing now too. Part of that Civil Service Reform Act said, “If your position is in a national security-related position, the president can determine it's not subject to collective bargaining.” Trump and the OPM have basically said, “Most positions in the federal government are national security-related, and therefore we're going to declare them off-limits to collective bargaining.” Some people say that sounds absurd. But 60% of the civilian civil service workforce is the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security. I am not someone who tries to go too easy on this crowd. I think there's a heck of a lot that needs to be reformed. But it's also worth remembering that the majority of the civil service workforce are in these three agencies that Republicans tend to like a lot.Now, whether people like Veterans Affairs is more of an open question. We have some particular laws there about opening up processes after the scandals in the 2010s about waiting lists and hospitals. You had veterans hospitals saying, "We're meeting these standards for getting veterans in the door for these waiting lists." But they were straight-up lying about those standards. Many people who were on these lists waiting for months to see a doctor died in the interim, some from causes that could have been treated had they seen a VA doctor. That led to Congress doing big reforms in the VA in 2014 and 2017, precisely because everyone realized this is a problem.So, Trump has put out these executive orders stopping collective bargaining in all of these agencies that touch national security. Some of those, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seem like a tough sell. I guess that, if you want to dig a mine and the Chinese are trying to dig their own mine and we want the mine to go quickly without the EPA pettifogging it, maybe. But the core ones are pretty solid. So far the courts have upheld the executive order to go in place. So collective bargaining there could be reformed.But in the rest of the government, there are these very extreme, long collective bargaining agreements between agencies and their unions. I've hit on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as one that's had pretty extensive bargaining with its union. When we created the TSA to supervise airport security, a lot of people said, "We need a crème de la crème to supervise airports after 9/11. We want to keep this out of union hands, because we know unions are going to make it difficult to move people around." The Obama administration said, "Nope, we're going to negotiate with the union." Now you have these huge negotiations with the unions about parking spots, hours of employment, uniforms, and everything under the sun. That makes it hard for managers in the TSA to decide when people should go where or what they should do.One thing we've talked about on Statecraft in past episodes — for instance, with John Kamensky, who was a pivotal figure in the Clinton-Gore reforms — was this relationship between government employees and “Beltway Bandits”: the contractors who do jobs you might think of as civil service jobs. One critique of that ‘90s Clinton-Gore push, “Reinventing Government,” was that although they shrank the size of the civil service on paper, the number of contractors employed by the federal government ballooned to fill that void. They did not meaningfully reduce the total number of people being paid by the federal government. Talk to me about the relationship between the civil service reform that you'd like to see and this army of folks who are not formally employees.Every government service is a combination of public employees and inputs, and private employees and inputs. There's never a single thing the government does — federal, state, or local — that doesn't involve inputs from the private sector. That could be as simple as the uniforms for the janitors. Even if you have a publicly employed janitor, who buys the mop? You're not manufacturing the mops.I understand the critique that the excessive focus on full-time employees in the 1990s led to contracting out some positions that could be done directly by the government. But I think that misses how much of the government can and should be contracted out. The basic Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statute [OMB Circular No. A-76] defining what is an essential government duty should still be the dividing line. What does the government have to do, because that is the public overseeing a process? Versus, what can the private sector just do itself?I always cite Stephen Goldsmith, the old mayor of Indianapolis. He proposed what he called the Yellow Pages test. If you open the Yellow Pages [phone directory] and three businesses do that business, the government should not be in that business. There's three garbage haulers out there. Instead of having a formal government garbage-hauling department, just contract out the garbage.With the internet, you should have a lot more opportunities to contract stuff out. I think that is generally good, and we should not have the federal government going about a lot of the day-to-day procedural things that don't require public input. What a lot of people didn't recognize is how much pressure that's going to put on government contracting officers at the federal level. Last time I checked there were 40,000 contracting officers. They have a lot of power. In the most recent year for which we have data, there were $750 billion in federal contracts. This is a substantial part of our economy. If you total state and local, we're talking almost 10% of our whole economy goes through government contracts. This is mind-boggling. In the public policy world, we should all be spending about 10% of our time thinking about contracting.One of the things I think everyone recognized is that contractors should have more authority. Some of the reform that happened with people like [Steven] Kelman — who was the Office of Federal Procurement Policy head in the ‘90s under Clinton — was, "We need to give these people more authority to just take a credit card and go buy a sheaf of paper if that's what they need. And we need more authority to get contract bids out appropriately.”The same message that animates civil service reform should animate these contracting discussions. The goal should be setting clear goals that you want — for either a civil servant or a contractor — and then giving that person the discretion to meet them. If you make the civil service more stultified, or make pay compression more extreme, you're going to have to contract more stuff out.People talk about the General Schedule [pay scale], but we haven't talked about the Federal Wage Schedule system at all, which is the blue-collar system that encompasses about 200,000 federal employees. Pay compression means those guys get paid really well. That means some managers rightfully think, "I'd like to have full-time supervision over some role, but I would rather contract it out, because I can get it a heck of a lot cheaper."There's a continuous relationship: If we make the civil service more stultified, we're going to push contracting out into more areas where maybe it wouldn't be appropriate. But a lot of things are always going to be appropriate to contract out. That means we need to give contracting officers and the people overseeing contracts a lot of discretion to carry out their missions, and not a lot of oversight from the Government Accountability Office or the courts about their bids, just like we shouldn't give OPM excess input into the civil service hiring process.This is a theme I keep harping on, on Statecraft. It's counterintuitive from a reformer's perspective, but it's true: if you want these processes to function better, you're going to have to stop nitpicking. You're going to have to ease up on the throttle and let people make their own decisions, even when sometimes you're not going to agree with them.This is a tension that's obviously happening in this administration. You've seen some clear interest in decentralization, and you've seen some centralization. In both the contract and the civil service sphere, the goal for the central agencies should be giving as many options as possible to the local managers, making sure they don't go extremely off the rails, but then giving those local managers and contracting officials the ability to make their own choices. The General Services Administration (GSA) under this administration is doing a lot of government-wide acquisition contracts. “We establish a contract for the whole government in the GSA. Usually you, the local manager, are not required to use that contract if you want computer services or whatever, but it's an option for you.”OPM should take a similar role. "Here's the system we have set up. You can take that and use it as you want. It's here for you, but it doesn't have to be used, because you might have some very particular hiring decisions to make.” Just like there shouldn't be one contracting decision that decides how we buy both a sheaf of computer paper and an aircraft carrier, there shouldn't be one hiring and firing process for a janitor and a nuclear physicist. That can't be a centralized process, because the very nature of human life is that there's an infinitude of possibilities that you need to allow for, and that means some amount of decentralization.I had an argument online recently about New York City's “buy local” requirement for certain procurement contracts. When they want to build these big public toilets in New York City, they have to source all the toilet parts from within the state, even if they're $200,000 cheaper in Portland, Oregon.I think it's crazy to ask procurement and contracting to solve all your policy problems. Procurement can't be about keeping a healthy local toilet parts industry. You just need to procure the toilet.This is another area where you see similar overlap in some of the civil service and contracting issues. A lot of cities have residency requirements for many of their positions. If you work for the city, you have to live inside the city. In New York, that means you've got a lot of police officers living on Staten Island, or right on the line of the north side of the Bronx, where they're inches away from Westchester. That drives up costs, and limits your population of potential employees.One of the most amazing things to me about the Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was that it encouraged contracting officers to use residency requirements: “You should try to localize your hiring and contracting into certain areas.” On a national level, that cancels out. If both Wyoming and Wisconsin use residency requirements, the net effect is not more people hired from one of those states! So often, people expect the civil service and contracting to solve all of our ills and to point the way forward for the rest of the economy on discrimination, hiring, pay, et cetera. That just leads to, by definition, government being a lot more expensive than the private sector.Over the next three and a half years, what would you like to see the administration do on civil service reform that they haven't already taken up?I think some of the broad-scale layoffs, which seem to be slowing down, were counterproductive. I do think that their ability to achieve their ends was limited by the nature of the reduction-in-force regulations, which made them more counterproductive than they had to be. That's the situation they inherited. But that didn't mean you had to lay off a lot of people without considering the particular jobs they were doing now.And hiring quite a few of them back.Yeah. There are also debates obviously, within the administration, between DOGE and Russ Vought [director of the OMB] and some others on this. Some things, like the Schedule Policy/Career — which is the revival of Schedule F in the first Trump administration — are largely a step in the right direction. Counter to some of the critics, it says, “You can remove someone if they're in a policymaking position, just like if they were completely at-will. But you still have to hire from the typical civil service system.” So, for those concerned about politicization, that doesn't undermine that, because they can't just pick someone from the party system to put in there. I think that's good.They recently had a suitability requirement rule that I think moved in the right direction. That says, “If someone's not suitable for the workforce, there are other ways to remove them besides the typical procedures.” The ideal system is going to require some congressional input: it's to have a decentralization of hiring authority to individual managers. Which means the OPM — now under Scott Kupor, who has finally been confirmed — saying, "The OPM is here to assist you, federal managers. Make sure you stay within the broad lanes of what the administration's trying to accomplish. But once we give you your general goals, we're going to trust you to do that, including hiring.”I've mentioned it a few times, but part of the Chance to Compete Act — which was mentioned in one of Trump's Day One executive orders, people forget about this — was saying, “Implement the Chance to Compete Act to the maximum extent of the law.” Bring more subject-matter expertise into the hiring process, allow more discretion for managers and input into the hiring process. I think carrying that bipartisan reform out is going to be a big step, but it's going to take a lot more work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (08/07/2025) 3:05pm- In a post to social media, “comedian” Rosie O'Donnell wrote that ABC is allegedly reviewing progressive bias on The View. O'Donnell warned that the show would soon be canceled to appease “the orange messiah,” Donald Trump. Is it possible the show is in jeopardy of being discontinued because the quality is low? For example, South Park has been aggressively targeting the Trump Administration in its latest episodes—but Paramount recently awarded the show's creators with an estimated $1.5 billion. 3:30pm- Russell Vought—Director of the Office of Management & Budget—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss “200 Days of Winning” with the Trump Administration. What are the Trump Administration's most underappreciated accomplishments so far? Director Vought explains: securing the U.S. Southern border & preventing entrenched bureaucrats from slowing President Donald Trump's agenda. 4:00pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly—Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University & Author of “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss 40% of Brown University students claiming they are gay and a CBS host who is worried about moon colonization…because of the awful history of colonialism. Plus, his book is now officially hitting the bestseller list! You can find it here: https://a.co/d/89w7Scz. 4:30pm- National Purple Heart Day: From the White House, President Donald Trump delivered remarks during a ceremony honoring Purple Heart recipients. 4:45pm- While appearing on Fox News, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller estimated that because the 2020 census included undocumented migrants living in the U.S. unlawfully, Democrats have an additional 20 to 30 seats in the House of Representatives. 5:00pm- At least fifty-one Texas House Democrats fled the state as part of an effort to deny the Texas House a quorum—effectively preventing a vote on redistricting while also prolonging a vote on providing financial relief for families impacted by last month's devastating floods that killed more than 120 people. In response, Governor Greg Abbott has argued that fleeing the state to prevent the legislative process simply because you don't like the expected outcome of an upcoming vote amounts to an “abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office.” 5:10pm- While appearing on CNN, political strategist Brad Todd explained that errors with the 2020 census “disproportionately” hurt Republican dominated states. 5:15pm- Democratic Strategist James Carville is now encouraging his party to make Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. states and add four seats to the Supreme Court if they take control of the House, Senate, and White House in 2028. 5:30pm- Chris Cuomo was tricked by perhaps the most obvious deep fake video of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in recent memory—and didn't realize it for nearly 3 hours! Are we actually on Team AOC here? 5:40pm- Dr. Victoria Coates— Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Donald Trump potentially meeting with Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Dr. Coates is the author of the book: “The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win.” 6:05pm- State Rep. Briscoe Cain—Texas House of Representative from the 128th District & Chairman of the Texas Freedom Caucus—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Texas House Democrats fleeing the state to avoid voting on redistricting. Rep. Cain has filed HB 257 to vacate the seat of any legislator who skips seven straight legislative days without an excused absence. He explains: “If you abandon your job, you don't deserve the title.” 6:20pm- During a recent interview, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was asked about UFOs. Has she seen anything proving the existence of aliens??? 6:40pm- REPLAY: Russ ...
After President Trump's eventful and rare visit to the Federal Reserve building with Fed Chair Powell, OMB Director Russell Vought discusses the building's renovations and the President's concerns about the central bank's budget management. Vought visited the construction site alongside the President, and shares his hope that the project finishes quickly. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) is aiming to redistribute corporate wealth through his SHARE Plan Act. Rep. Suozzi explains his plan to rebuild the middle class with stock ownership. Plus, the FCC has approved Paramount's merger with Skydance, and President Trump signed an executive order to limit money's influence in college sports. Russ Vought - 14:32Rep. Tom Suozzi - 29:05 In this episode:Becky Quick, @BeckyQuickAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie
God's Debris: The Complete Works, Amazon https://tinyurl.com/GodsDebrisCompleteWorksFind my "extra" content on Locals: https://ScottAdams.Locals.comContent:Politics, Mental Health Rate 25%, Dalai Lama Reincarnation, Zuby, Zero-Sum Game, Jerome Powell Inflation, Diddy Trial, Trump CBS Lawsuit, Trump Name Branding Adoption, Alligator Alcatraz, Joy Reid, USAID, Samantha Powers, G7 Global Aid Reductions, Global Starvation Rate, Reproduction Rates, Starvation Rates, Jaime Raskin Designated Liar, CNN Bias Reduction, Harry Enten, Scott Jennings, Undocumented People Investigating AOC, Big Beautiful Bill, Russ Vought, Trump BBB Support, Elon BBB Opposition, Student Debt Repayment, SpaceX, Israel Hamas Cease Fire, Iran IAEA Suspension, Zohran Mamdani Creepy Smile, Creepy Commie Smile, Census Non-Citizen Counting, Solar Battery Economics, Scott Adams~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you would like to enjoy this same content plus bonus content from Scott Adams, including micro-lessons on lots of useful topics to build your talent stack, please see scottadams.locals.com for full access to that secret treasure.
Thursday, June 19th, 2025Today, the Supreme Court deals a stunning setback to trans rights as it upholds Tennessee's ban on transgender healthcare for minors; cuts to FEMA are hammering communities that voted for Trump; the fed refuse to cut interest rates despite pressure from Trump to do so; the Small Business Administration is flying the far right appeal to heaven flag; the President is really mad a Pete Hegseth for his squeaky squeaky tank parade; Russ Vought eyes a rarely used power to override Congressional spending; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Thank You, PiqueGet 10% off for life with the link piquelife.com/dailybeans.MSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueAllison Gill Live With Adam Klasfeld | muellershewrote.comCheck out Dana's social media campaign highlighting LGBTQ+ heroes every day during Pride Month - Dana Goldberg (@dgcomedy.bsky.social)Guest: Molly Jong-FastMolly encourages all to find her book at a local independent books store, and if it's not available, you can request it.How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast - Penguin Random HouseE-Book - How to Lose Your Mother, Audio Book - How to Lose Your Mother Audiobook | Libro.fmFast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast - Podcast - Apple PodcastsMolly Jong-Fast (@mollyjongfast.bsky.social) - BlueskyMolly Jong-Fast (@mollyjongfast) · Instagram StoriesSCOTUS Allows For Trans Discrimination In Medical Care: A Full Analysis Of Today's Ruling | Erin In The MorningTrump Official Eyes Power of Rescission to Override Congress on Spending | The New York TimesFederal Reserve holds interest rates, defying Trump's demand to lower them | The GuardianCuts to FEMA's storm prep program hammer communities that voted for Trump | CBS NewsMigrant deported to El Salvador after DPS labeled him a member of Tren de Aragua without evidence, lawyer says | The Texas TribuneFar-Right ‘Appeal to Heaven' Flag Flown Above Government Agency in DC | WIREDTrump ‘Reamed Out' Hegseth for Flop Birthday Parade: Author | Daily BeastGood Trouble: From an anonymous listener: Georgia comrades: #DougCollins will be speaking:June 29th at 10:30am - The Church of the Apostles3585 Northside Parkway,Atlanta, Georgia 30327404-842-0200Would hate if they got a ton of phone calls against Doug and protestors. That would suck.Proton Mail: Get a free email account with privacy and encryptionFind Upcoming Demonstrations And Actions50501 MovementNoKings.orgIndivisible.orgFederal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyCheck out other MSW Media podcastsShows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 podSubscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on SubstackThe BreakdownFrom The Good News'No Kings' protest brings national voices to Downtown Madison | Top Stories | wkow.comHumane SocietyReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good TroubleMSW Good News and Good Trouble Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts
Weekend riots in Los Angeles stretch into the new week … but they are "mostly peaceful," according to the Left. President Trump sends in the National Guard to Los Angeles. Team Trump making the rounds to sell the undecideds on the "big, beautiful bill." When Vice President JD Vance first learned about the Elon Musk tweet about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Senator Chuck Schumer then and Senator Chuck Schumer now. Is leadership at the FBI compromised, overwhelmed, or just incompetent? The term "family" is for white supremacists? Social media showdown: Simone Biles vs. Riley Gaines. Pope Leo XIV receives an interesting gift from Argentina's Javier Milei. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has a message for Republicans. Karine Jean-Pierre's colleagues spill the tea on her time in the White House. 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED 00:23 NEW Pat Gray BINGO! Card 05:12 The 2025 LA Riots 22:25 The Left Defends the "Mostly Peaceful Protests" 26:21 Door Shut on Maxine Waters 27:52 Protestor on Stilts 31:21 National Guard VS. LA Protestors 34:29 Stephen Miller Explains the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 37:42 Kevin Hassett on the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 38:59 Karoline Leavitt on the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 45:03 JD Vance on Elon Musk/Donald Trump Feud 49:04 Russ Vought on the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 50:12 Chuck Schumer Back in 1996 52:48 "Maryland Man" is Back in America, but... 55:06 Kash Patel on Joe Rogan Discussing the Epstein Files 1:05:02 Attorney on Trump & Epstein 1:06:35 Kash Patel on Joe Rogan Discussing Anthony Fauci 1:12:09 'Family' is a White Supremacy Term?! 1:16:16 Simone Biles VS. Riley Gaines 1:25:33 Javier Milei Meets with the Pope 1:28:30 Democrats Turning on KJP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Glenn goes through the entire timeline of the feud, and he and Stu dissect how things went so wrong so fast. How did something that began as a disagreement on policy morph into horrific accusations and threats to pull funding? In the aftermath of the falling-out between Trump and Musk, which began over disagreements regarding the "big, beautiful bill," Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought joins to defend the legislation and discuss where critics of the bill are mistaken. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joins to discuss how we can fix the VA and debate whether the VA should be privatized. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Glenn exposes the one person he thinks caused the massive Trump-Musk falling-out: Stu Burguiere. Glenn goes through the entire timeline of the feud, and he and Stu dissect how things went so wrong so fast. How did something that began as a disagreement on policy morph into horrific accusations and threats to pull funding? Glenn and Stu react to President Trump's impressive amount of restraint as Elon Musk went nuclear in this feud. In the aftermath of the falling-out between Trump and Musk, which began over disagreements regarding the "big, beautiful bill," Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought joins to defend the legislation and discuss where critics of the bill are mistaken. Glenn warns of the dangers that lie ahead if we don't get these disagreements with the bill settled. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joins to discuss how we can fix the VA and debate whether the VA should be privatized. Will Americans be paying more for their bananas? The guys react to a viral clip of Trump's commerce secretary and a congresswoman clashing over banana prices. They also discussed Michelle Obama's new book announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Big, beautiful bill" hitting a snag in the U.S. Senate? President Trump isn't happy with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Elon Musk expresses his displeasure over the "big, beautiful bill." White House reporting positive economic numbers, including a plummeting price of eggs. Air quality alerts in the U.S. because of the Canadian wildfires. NBA and NHL finals set to begin! Escaped prisoner makes plea to Donald Trump. Why you shouldn't make your bed first thing in the morning. The NFL is so gay. Washington Post was forced to correct its faulty reporting that was based on claims from Hamas. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) spend nearly a million dollars on their trip to Ukraine? ICE takes custody of the suspected Boulder terrorist and his family. Democrats blaming Trump for rise in anti-Semitism. ICE agents being doxxed, so they're wearing masks … and Democrats are upset. Tim Walz thinks he understands why young voters went for Trump. Chinese spy busted in U.S.? Man scales fence at Mar-a-Lago. 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED 02:59 Russ Vought on the Big Beautiful Bill 06:04 Amy Klobuchar Calls Out the Big Beautiful Bill 07:33 Rand Paul is a NO on the Big Beautiful Bill 09:11 Mike Johnson Fires Back at Elon Musk 16:09 Karoline Leavitt on Elon's X 25:43 Pat Gray BINGO! Winner 26:52 Karoline on Egg Prices in America 34:32 Chewing the Fat with PRIDE??? 48:15 NFL is Still Gay 54:02 Hajj Walk Update 55:59 Karoline Leavitt Corrects the MSM 58:00 The Washington Post Correction 1:05:59 Richard Blumenthal Returns from Trip to Ukraine 1:07:06 Spending Reports from Lindsey Graham 1:16:10 Kristi Noem Update on Boulder Arrest 1:18:24 Trump Blamed for What Happened in Boulder?! 1:19:19 Dan Goldman on ICE Agents Wearing Masks 1:24:09 Tampon Timmy Walz Knows Why Trump Won 1:29:41 Ted Cruz vs. Cory Booker A.K.A. Spartacus 1:31:16 Chinese Caught Smuggling 1:33:16 Jackie Chan Talks about his Father 1:34:42 Texas Man Hops Mar-a-Lago Wall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mike Johnson and Russ Vought outright lied on camera about the proposed Medicaid cuts and the impact they would have on millions of Americans. Marco Rubio lied about the children who are dying because of USAID cuts. And Joni Ernst is reimagining Christianity to be about Jesus teaching his followers not to care about the sick and the poor because they're going to die anyway. And through it all, Peter Thiel is doing everything in his power not to die—or even age. But one saving grace is that Ukraine kicked some Russian ass this weekend. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
Episode 4505: Hostage Situation In The FBI; Exclusive With Russ Vought
Will the papacy become Americanized? Glenn reacts to the first American pope and outlines the one thing the new pope should not do. Reporting from Rome, John-Henry Westen expressed concern about Pope Leo XIV. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought joins Glenn to break down the House's push for a "big, beautiful bill." Vought also addresses some of the criticism this bill has been getting. A Massachusetts man brought Molotov cocktails and knives to the Capitol with plans to kill Cabinet members, but the mainstream media shrugged it off as misunderstood "activism." The Spectator associate editor Douglas Murray breaks down his appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience." Glenn and Murray also discuss how our enemies are pushing an anti-American agenda and their hope that today's youngest generation will see through the propaganda. But can America's youth be expected to step up and save the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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