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"I think last night was the completion of the 'Trumpitization' of the Republican party." Feb 10, 2018

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Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) shut down the federal government Thursday night—albeit briefly—by holding up a procedural vote over a short-term spending bill that funds the government through March 23. One of Senator Paul's concerns was the massive increase in spending caps. Many in the media and on Capitol Hill criticized Paul’s grandstanding after he voted for the GOP tax bill that added $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. During the Obama years, Republicans routinely railed against raising the deficit. So what changed? Michael and Rick discuss Senator Paul's speech and whether this was the last gasps of the pre-Trump GOP. Dave Weigel, national political reporter for the Washington Post, talks about the Democrats picking up some victories and big pharma taking some losses in the latest spending bill.

"People are so happy with what he's doing that they're willing to give him a pass on everything else." Feb 09, 2018

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Over a year into the Trump presidency, many are wondering why so many people, from evangelicals to congressmen and senators, are giving President Trump’s behavior a pass and why previous detractors are now aboard the Trump train. Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com and host of the Ben Shapiro show, chalks it up to the extreme cognitive dissonance his supporters experience between the president’s policies and his character. He joins Michael and Rick to address the “cult of Trump”. The guys wonder why the Trump White House has hired and supported men who allegedly harassed and assaulted women.

"The hope is that it puts the punishment on a member for sexual harassment." Feb 08, 2018

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Allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct in the wake of the activism and action of the #MeToo movement have had profound effects on Capitol Hill, ending the political careers of at least seven congressmen and one senator. The departures of Senator Al Franken and Representative John Conyers (D-MI) were much more drawn out compared to the plethora of quick dismissals in the entertainment industry. In November of last year, NBC reporter Katy Tur drew attention to the difference on 'Meet The Press Daily', saying, “We have a different set of standards for everybody else and for politicians…For men in politics, there is a ‘Oh wait, hold on. Which side of the aisle is this?’” Congress recently took action to try and rectify its record on sexual misconduct when the House passed a comprehensive package of rules and regulations to improve accountability. Amber Phillips of the Washington Post breaks down what’s in the bill and how people hope it will help stamp out sexual harassment and misconduct on the Hill. Michael and Rick sound off on President Trump’s desire for a "grand military parade".

"There’s so much hypocrisy it’s hard to know where to start." Feb 07, 2018

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After Congressman Devin Nunes' (R-Calif. 22) memo on alleged FISA Court abuses was publicly released last week, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously Monday night to send the Democrats' version of the memo to the White House where it now awaits President Trump’s approval for declassification. As the partisan push-and-pull continues over these memos, cooler heads on Capitol Hill are pointing out the rank hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle. Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics, breaks down some of the most blatant hypocrisy coming out of the Capitol building. Michael and Rick discuss the potential for a government shutdown Thursday night and why President Trump seems so gung-ho to shut down DC.

"Some people are beginning to discover that they're Americans first and partisans second." Feb 06, 2018

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Conservatives were triumphant over the release of Congressman Devin Nunes’ (R-Calif. 22) controversial memo detailing alleged FISA Court abuses. However, by Sunday morning, some of those Republicans, like House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C. 4), broke with the White House and Republican leadership’s narrative that this memo revealed some kind of rot in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis discusses his thoughts on the memo and why he believes there was much more to the FISA proceedings than Nunes detailed. Fox Business reporter Adam Shapiro talks about the stock market’s precipitous plunge and whether we’re headed for a market correction.

"This is playing into the hands of the Russians." Feb 03, 2018

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Congressman Devin Nunes’ (R-CA 22) controversial memo on alleged abuse by the FISA court was declassified and made available to the public today. The reactions are split between outrage and indignation from conservative pundits and politicians who believe the memo is proof of partisan bias in the FBI and intelligence community and outrage and indignation from liberals who believe the memo is a partisan “nothing burger” and a waste of time. Congressman Will Hurd (R-Texas 23), a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, voted for the memo to be declassified and released. Rep. Hurd defends the memo, Congress’ right to exercise oversight and the real, substantive issues in the ongoing Russia investigation. Michael and Rick discuss whether the memo's release will have consequences for Paul Ryan’s reputation and whether it has irreparably damaged the relationship between Congress and the intelligence community.

"It has become this politically radioactive document." Feb 02, 2018

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Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif. 28), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, claims that Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Calif. 22), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, not only sent an altered version of his memo on alleged FISA court abuses to the White House, but also collaborated with White House staff on the alterations. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Justice Department officials, and FBI Director Christopher Wray have warned the Trump administration about the damage that releasing the memo would cause. Daniel Lippman, co-author of the POLITICO Playbook newsletter, discusses how this document is causing Washington to tear itself apart at the seams. Michael Steele explains why so many Republican congressmen won't seek re-election in 2018 and reminds listeners that how hard the coming "Blue Wave" hits is still to be determined.

"We treat Donald Trump just like any other politician that we fact-check." Feb 01, 2018

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Earlier this month, The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler and Meg Kelly reported that President Donald Trump made over 2,000 “false or misleading claims” during his first year in the White House. With that number in mind, many pundits and politicians wondered whether his first State of the Union address would hold up under the scrutiny of fact-checkers. Angie Holan, editor of PolitiFact, talks about how her team fact-checks the president and how they sort through the facts, fictions and gray areas. Michael and Rick discuss Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union. Does he have the right message and is he the right messenger for the Dems ahead of the 2018 midterms?

"This was the most important speech of the year." Jan 31, 2018

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What goes into writing a State of the Union address? How does the president convey policy goals to speechwriters? How are they translated into prose? How does a president become comfortable delivering such an important speech in someone else’s words? Paul Glastris, current editor-in-chief of Washington Monthly, wrote quite a few State of the Union speeches while he was serving as senior speechwriter to President Bill Clinton. He gives Rick and Michael a masterclass in presidential speechwriting and a peek at all the work that goes into constructing the “organizing document of an administration”. Nick Johnston, editor-in-chief of Axios, discusses the impact that Congressman Devin Nunes’ memo on potential FISA abuses is having on discourse inside the Beltway.

"This is a rare case where everyone...thinks this is a colossally bad idea." Jan 30, 2018

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It seems almost impossible these days to think of an issue which inspires universal consensus from both Republicans and Democrats. However, the Trump administration’s blueprint for nationalizing the 5G mobile network—revealed in a leaked White House memo—is being panned by officials across the federal government. Julian Sanchez, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, said the opposition to the 5G nationalization is almost unanimous, stating, “It’s not just Ajit Pai. It’s the entire FCC Board of Commissioners, Republicans and Democrats. All put out statements saying we don’t think this is a good idea.” Sanchez discusses why the FCC and so many others around Capitol Hill are opposed to nationalizing the 5G network. Michael and Rick discuss a Washington Monthly study showing that voter participation increases when you allow more people to vote from home.

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