After some brief comments on the ongoing criminal trial of Donald Trump, Mike and Jay discuss the Ukraine aid package, considering how it got to the floor, what it says about the Republican Party, and the arguments against extending more aid to Ukraine.

Next, they turn to the recently passed TikTok ban, which would require parent company ByteDance to either sell the company to an approved buyer within a year or no longer be able to do business in the United States. Both Mike and Jay are skeptical of the constitutional arguments against the ban and think there are solid national security reasons for the legislation.

They close with a look at the growing pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the country. Mike is more sympathetic to the protestors' viewpoint than Jay is, but they both support reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on students’ (and non-student protestors) exercise of speech.

Check out Mike’s other podcast, Sustainable Planet as well as TPG’s fellow Democracy Network show, The Bully Pulpit.

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Mike welcomes back to the show Bryan Caplan, a Professor of Economics at George Mason University, prolific author, and blogger at Bet on It. They discuss his latest essay collection, You Will Not Stampede Me: Essays on Non-Conformism.

Topics Mike and Bryan Discuss Include

- disobedience to authority

- why the world is wrong and the weird is right

- herding and hysteria

- the ubiquity (and danger) of crusades

- what the world got wrong about COVID

- combining cynicism and idealism

Bryan Caplan on X

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Trey and Ken dive into the Sixth Amendment and the unique protections it provides defendants. Topics of conversation include:

• The advent of professional police and prosecutors
• The modern plea bargaining system
• The right to a prosecutor
• The ability to produce evidence in your defense

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Mike and Kimberly's new show splanetpod.com

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Trey and Ken open with breaking news on Israel’s attack on Iran and Syria. They discuss the appropriateness of the response, the likely message behind the response, and the political implications for U.S. politics. They also briefly consider the timing of the U.S.’s blocking of Palestinian United Nations membership in the Security Council.

Next, they move to Congress and the ongoing debate inside the Republican Party over foreign aid. Trey believes Speaker Johnson has a deal already struck with Democrats, which also allows some Democrats to vote no on Israeli aid, while Ken thinks if there is a deal it is more comprehensive for Democrats. 

After that, they discuss the suspension and ultimate resignation of Uri Berliner from his role at NPR. Here the hosts take very different views. Ken views Uri as striking a Trumpian tone and is rightfully criticized and ousted. Trey disagrees, arguing that divergent viewpoints help media be thoughtful in the ways that frame, prime, and agenda setting. Objectivity is not impossible, but it doesn’t mean that viewpoint diversity is a bad thing. 

They close with a look at the newest Supreme Court decision in the case of Mckesson v Doe, the case determining if the organizer of an event can be held liable for activity he did not directly cause or promote.

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Mike and Kimberly's new show splanetpod.com

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys.

The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Trey talks with author Sasha Issenberg about his new book The Lie Detectives: In Search of a Playbook for Winning Elections in the Disinformation Age, in which he talks about the left's campaign strategies to combat "disinformation" and "misinformation."

Topics Trey and Sasha Cover Include

- why the left is primarily interested in disinformation

- the campaign strategies of Democrats online

- the focus on engagement in political persuasion

- how overseas democracies have faced similar disinformation strategies

- Brazilian cautions for some leftwing approaches to disinformation

Follow Sasha on X, and check out The Lie Detectives

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Mike and Jay open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of the Biden administration’s move to close the ‘gun show loophole’. Mike argues that it’s a good move and, to his surprise, Jay doesn’t really disagree.

From there they move on to a more contentious regulatory issue – whether the government should require all new table saws to have a finger-sensing blade brake. Mike thinks the benefits outweigh the costs, but Jay isn’t too sure that’s the case.

Following that, they consider whether the country is as divided as many people believe, in light of a recent AP/NORC poll that suggests most Americans agree on fundamental issues. Jay thinks the devil (and division) is in the details, while Mike points out some fairly significant differences between Democrats and Republicans.

They close by responding to a listener's question about extremists in their respective parties. (Giving Jay the opportunity to break out the very William F. Buckley-ish word apotheosis.)

Check out Mike’s new podcast, Sustainable Planet.

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Mike and Jay open with a look at the ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court upholding a near-total ban on abortions passed in 1864. They consider the legal reasoning behind the decision, what’s likely to happen next, and how they see it playing out politically, particularly in light of Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he believed abortion rights should be left up to the states.

Next, they discuss the latest Biden administration efforts to forgive student loan debt. Mike and Jay disagree as to whether the moves are legally and constitutionally permissible, but they do agree that the current system of higher education funding needs major reform – though they favor very different paths for that reform.

They close by discussing the many delays in legal proceedings involving Donald Trump, the seriousness of the cases against him, political bias, and what the voters should know before they vote in November.

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Mike talks with historical anthropologist Nicholas Dirks, Chancellor of UC Berkeley from 2013-2017, about his book City of Intellect: The Uses and Abuses of the University.

Topics Include:

- the public’s decline of faith in higher education

- if higher ed is focused on the right kind of diversity

- free speech as privileging dominant views

- what elite institutions are doing with their massive endowments

- rising education costs and administrative bloat at universities

- if public universities should take positions on political issues

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Trey & Ken discuss the five major elements of the 5th Amendment:

• Grand Juries
• Double Jeopardy
• Self-Incrimination
• Due Process
• Takings

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Trey & Ken start the episode with a deep dive into Israel’s airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria. This leads to a discussion of the differences between the northern conflict and the Gaza conflict. Next, the discussion moves to Biden’s newest demands of Israel and how Israel has responded. This also includes a discussion of shifting American attitudes on supporting Israel. After that, the duo look at the 6/15 week abortion ban in Florida. They discuss the Florida Supreme Court’s legal ruling, but also the political ramifications for both parties in terms of the November election. They close with a discussion of the valuation of Trump Media & Technology.

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The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Mike, Jay, and Justin open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of NBC’s decision to hire, and then quickly fire, former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. Was it a bad business decision poorly implemented, an example of anti-Trump bias, or something more than that?

Next, they consider whether Truth Social’s IPO makes any sense. Probably not from a strictly business sense, but as Mike points out, owning a share of DJT is likely to be more than a dollars and cents calculation to the MAGA faithful.

They close with a look at RFK Jr’s campaign and running mate, as well as Chris Christie’s rejection of No Labels and a broader discussion of third parties in the American political system.

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Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys.

The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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