The Politics Guys

Mike and Tim open with the Fifth Circuit’s rejection of President Trump’s attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act against Venezuelan migrants tied to Tren de Aragua. Tim argues the ruling shows the importance of clear legal definitions but believes Trump is still winning the broader political fight on immigration, while Mike warns about sweeping due process problems in deporting whole populations without individual review.

Next, they turn to a federal judge striking down Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles under Posse Comitatus. Mike emphasizes the danger of stretching unitary execut...

Trey talks with Tyler Evans, an experienced infectious diseases and public health expert who has worked around the word, including as Chief Medical Officer for New York City, but also with Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health. He is the author of Pandemics, Poverty, and Politics: Decoding the Social and Political Drivers of Pandemics from Plague to COVID-19, which is the topic of the episode.

Topics Trey and Tyler cover include:

Trey and Ken continue their deep dive through the U.S. Constitution. They begin by looking at the history and structure of the 25th Amendment. How it has been used in terms of voluntary transfers of power and for the selection of vice presidents. They also discuss the unused portions allowing a president to be forced to transfer power. The pair also discuss the history of enfranchising 18-year-olds and its ties to the Vietnam War.

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In a special three-guest episode, Trey and Ken are joined by Mike. They start the show with a conversation on Trump’s attempted firing of Federal Reserve Board Member Lisa Cook over mortgage applications. Trey overviews what is happening and the likely desire of President Trump to influence monetary policy. Ken discusses the current legal landscape for the firing of independent board members, and Mike is thoroughly disturbed by the entire process.

Next, the guys move to Chicago and the potential for National Guard troops to be deployed. Trey stakes out a firm line: if troops are se...

Mike welcomes back George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan to discuss Bryan’s latest collection, Pro-Market AND Pro-Business: Essays on Laissez-Faire.

Topics Mike & Bryan discuss include:

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Justin and Sam open with a discussion of the legal challenges surrounding the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility, where Sam highlights how environmental law is being leveraged in unexpected ways and Justin emphasizes the partisan optics behind the controversy.

Next, they turn to the FBI raid on John Bolton’s home. Sam underscores the legal backdrop of Bolton’s book dispute and stresses that a liberal bench approving the warrant suggests strong probable cause, while Justin raises concerns about the timing and political optics.

After that, the guys analyze recent shifts in voter registration showing Democrat...

Justin and Sam open with Trump’s back-to-back meetings with Zelensky and Putin. Sam argues they could mark real progress, with Trump uniquely able to pressure leaders into a room. Justin doubts meaningful concessions are likely, pointing to Putin’s sunk costs and Ukraine’s moral high ground.

Next, the guys examine Trump’s move to secure a $9B government stake in Intel. Sam frames it as a justified national-security safeguard given U.S. reliance on chips and China’s role in supply chains. Justin sees it as an overreach, with Trump strong-arming Intel’s CEO and reshaping th...

Mike and Joey open this midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of President Trump nominating  E.J. Antoni to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mike argues that Antoni is too inexperienced for the position, while Joey counters that it’s Antoni’s lack of time in the establishment that may make him a more effective change agent at BLS. They both agree that there are significant issues with BLS’s data collection methodology that need to be addressed.

Next is a look at President Trump’s continuing battle against elite universities. Mike allows that the administration has a civil...

A brief message from Mike about the newest hosts on TPG and why they're on the show.

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Mike and Joey open with a discussion of President Trump’s meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Mike sees it as a weak Trump being once again played by alpha-dog Putin, while Joey believes it’s Trump who is cleverly playing to Putin’s ego. They both agree that we won’t know which interpretation is closer to right until we know the details of any potential peace deal.

Next, it’s a look at the Trump administration’s efforts to combat crime in Washington, D.C.. Joey argues that the President is well within his rights t...

Mike talks with Anand Pandian, a professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. He's the author of Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down, which they discuss on this episode..

Topics Mike & Anand cover include:

how distance feeds conspiratorial thinking

the rise of “fortress homes”

the decline of front porches

why American vehicles are so enormous

“White Body Armor”

the walls of the mind

mutual aid and caretaking

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Ken Katkin and Justin Holmes discuss dive into the recent appellate court decision in the DOJ contempt suit, new developments in the investigations of Jack Smith and the Russia Hoax, as well as JD Vance using federal resources to make sure he had a good canoe trip.

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This week, Justin Holmes and Ken Katkin are host. They start off with the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which seems bad all around, but perhaps won't give Trump what he wants in the end. Next, they move on to trade, as some of Trump's tariffs took effect this week, while China's were delayed yet again. They  finish by talking about  developments in the fight over Texas redistricting, and Trump’s social media posts about the census, and the likelihood there could be an extra census before 2030, and of excluding non-citizens.

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Mike talks with Deb Otis, Director of Research and Policy at FairVote, a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. 

Topics Mike & Deb discuss include:

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Mike and Ken kick off this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of the dire situation in Gaza, including consideration of what the US can do to help and Netanyahu’s endgame in his fight against Hamas (and to stay out of prison).

Next, they look at a novel approach Democrats on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee are taking to force the release of materials on Jeffrey Epstein.

Following that, it’s a major housing bill that recently cleared the Senate Banking Committee in a 24-0 vote. Both Mike and Ken think it’s a good sta...

Mike and Ken open with a discussion of the Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged, despite hectoring from President Trump for a major rate cut. The guys consider the case for and against lower interest rates, as well as the effect the Trump tariffs are having on the decision. From there, they consider the likelihood that the Supreme Court will ultimately invalidate most of President Trump’s tariffs.

Next is a look at Texas’ mid-decade redistricting and the possibility that Democratic-controlled states (like California, most notably) may conduct their own between-Censuses redistricting in retaliation. Along...

Mike talks with Tim Murphy, a national correspondent at Mother Jones, about the NYC mayoral campaign of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani.

Topics Mike and Tim discuss include:

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Justin and Joey open this midweek supporters’ episode by exploring the Democratic Party’s post-2024 crossroads, sparked by a socialist win in New York and Hunter Biden’s provocative media appearances. Justin argues the party’s aging leadership and weak bench leave it vulnerable and fragmented, with no clear 2028 frontrunner. Joey sees a party ideologically fractured between moderates and a resurgent left, raising questions about whether Democrats can unify—or even keep their voters—heading into the next presidential cycle.

Next is Trump’s push to reinstate Native-themed sports names like the Redskins and Indians. Justin, once more strident...

Joey Ashbrook joins Justin Holmes to talk through the week's issues. They start with the continuing saga of the Epstein Files and the potential political fallout. Next, they turn their attention to the Paramount merger and the Trump Administration's role in it. Finally, they wrap up by talking about Texas doing an unusual (but legal) mid-decade congressional redistricting, along with a bit on the history of gerrymandering. 

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Mike talks with LeahDowney,  a junior research fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge. They discuss her book, Our Money: Monetary Policy as if Democracy Matters.

Topics Mike & Leah Cover Include:

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Mike and Sam open this supporters’ midweek episode with a look at President Trump’s increasing frustration with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and a recent deal in which the US will sell arms to NATO allies who will then give those weapons to Ukraine. Sam sees Trump as a realist and a deal maker who hasn’t changed his mind, but who is simply adjusting to new facts on the ground. Mike’s less certain of that, but he’s pleased that, at present, it doesn’t seem like Trump has plans to cut and run in Ukraine - especially n...

Mike and Sam open with a discussion of the ongoing controversy in MAGAworld about the Epstein files. Mike thought it wouldn’t have the staying power that it has, while Sam isn’t at all surprised that the poor handling of the matter and lack of transparency by the Trump administration have resulted in plenty of anger on the right.

Next, they turn to a rarity in Congress - a successful rescissions bill. Mike points out that the $9.4 billion cut is a drop in the bucket and that NPR, in particular, might be better off without the smal...

Trey and Justin are joined by Mike and begin by discussing the Supreme Court’s unsigned opinion on federal workforce reductions. The trio dissects the contrasting views of Justices Jackson and Sotomayor. Next is a look into Trump’s executive order aiming to end subsidies and tax credits for clean energy. The trio discusses the policy’s potential effects on renewable energy and Congress’ reaction, along with the future of U.S. energy policy.  The show ends with a discussion of the Columbia University hack and the attack on Zohar’s Mamdani by Christopher Rufo.

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Trey and Justin are joined by Mike! In this episode, the trio start by asking if Musk is serious about the America Party. Then they discuss the newest no-client list from the Epstein files along with a longer conversation about conspiracy culture. After that, it is a look at the legal limbo of birthright citizenship, refiled as a class-action lawsuit. Finally, the question of tariffs and trade and the newest extension and rhetoric from Trump’s tariff letters.

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Trey & Ken continue through the U.S. Constitution, covering the 23rd and 24th Amendments. Topics covered include:

The history of the U.S. Capital

The origin of the District of Columbia

The reasons for granting the District of Columbia electors but not Congresspersons

The origin and history of poll taxes

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Happy 4th of July: Trey and Ken are back! They open the show by reading a portion of the Declaration of Independence and commenting on the past and future of the United States on its 249th anniversary. After that, they turn to the biggest news item this week: the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act. Because of the complexity of the law, the hosts take this on in two sections. First, they look at the politics of the Big Beautiful Bill, including the end of the Republican Party as the party of deficit reduction. Second, they turn to...

Mike talks with Greg Lukianoff, attorney, New York Times bestselling author, and President and CEO of FIRE: the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. They discuss Greg’s latest book,  The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech - And Why They Fail, with Nadine Strossen.

Topics Mike & Greg discuss include:

- Why calling words “violence” leads to actual violence

- The case against hate speech laws

- Free speech lessons from Nazi Germany and Rwanda

- Shoutdowns as mob censorship on campus

- Whether the internet makes s...

Trey and Justin continue with two more Supreme Court cases from the end of the term. They begin with Mahmoud v. Taylor, which allows parents to opt out their children from pre-K LGBTQ+ books. Here, Trey argues that education is value-driven, and the public sphere can never do what is necessary for education. Justin agrees but believes there is a space in which universal values can be applied.

The hosts then turn to Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton and the upholding of a Texas law requiring age verification for certain types of pornographic websites. Justin believes the...

Trey and Justin open this week with the United States bombing of Iran. In this sweeping conversation, the hosts look at not only the legal aspect of President Trump’s bombing order but also the political. This includes conversations about the growing potential rift in MAGA, the debate between Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz, and an examination of the power of the U.S. President as it relates to war.

Next, the pair discuss the first of three major cases released at the end of the United States Supreme Court’s term: Trump’s v. CASA. Here...

Mike talks with Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and Hastings Foundation Chair (emerita) at University of California College of Law San Francisco. She’s the author of the recently released book, Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back, which they discuss in this episode.

Topics Mike & Joan cover include:

- class blindness on the left

- the ‘missing middle’

- why moving to the center isn’t the answer

- why red states with ‘family values’ have so much family dysfunction<...

Mike, Justin, and Joey open this midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teens. Joey defends the ruling as consistent with constitutional principles and the rule of law, emphasizing the importance of state authority in medical regulation. Justin criticizes the decision as both legally flawed and harmful, arguing that it targets a marginalized group and disregards medical consensus. Mike highlights the central importance of the legal standard of review and raises concerns about selective targeting and inconsistency in medical regulation.

Next, th...

This week, Mike and Justin are joined by Joey Ashbrook, a new conservative voice on The Politics Guys. They open with a discussion of the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Justin argues that Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal “set the ball in motion” for today’s crisis. Joey contends that Iran’s uranium enrichment past peaceful-use levels justifies Trump’s hardline stance. Mike suggests Netanyahu may have maneuvered the U.S. into deeper involvement by initiating strikes that only American assets can complete.

The conversation then turns to the politically motivated murders in Minnesota. J...

Mike, Trey, and Tim open with a look at one part of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that could have some bipartisan support - the plan to give every child born in the US a $1,000 investment account.

From there, they turn to Elon Musk, who issued a sort of apology for some of the things he said about President Trump, as well as a lawsuit alleging Musk conducted a “brazen scheme to bribe Wisconsin citizens to vote”.

They close by considering Tim’s recent Substack post about how he’s changing his teaching to deal with LLMs and the...

Mike and Trey are joined by a new co-host, Tim King, a Professor of Economics at the University of Austin. The guys start off with a discussion of the civil unrest in Los Angeles. Tim argues that Democrats are hurting themselves politically by appearing to side with violent protesters. Trey points out that the administration’s legal justification for deploying troops is on shaky ground. Mike highlights that while the president receives broad deference on these matters, the failure to follow proper legal procedures is a real problem.

From there, they move to the parade in honor of...

Trey and Justin begin the show by discussing two Supreme Court cases. The first case resulted in a unanimous decision against Mexico’s lawsuit against gun manufacturers. The case sparked a discussion between the hosts about their own positions on gun rights and the merits of the case. Trey viewed it as a pointless case.

Next, the hosts addressed the split decision to allow DOGE access to social security information. While acknowledging the problematic nature of the institutional presidency, the hosts agree that DOGE, despite its policy issues, should be granted access to the data. This led to...

Trey and Justin join forces for the first time in this week's episode! The pair begin with a discussion of Trump's new travel ban and its relationship to the attack in Boulder. Then they discuss both the social media battle between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump and whether this is the last gasp for economic conservatives in the Republican Party. They close the show discussing the impact of Ukraine's drone strikes and how it borders, as close as one can, to the workings of a James Bond-like movie.

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Mike talks with Lura Forcum, president of the Independent Center, an organization that represents people who are fed up with partisan politics and feel politically homeless.

Topics Mike & Lura discuss include:

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Mike, Justin, and Sam open with the Russia-Ukraine war and Trump’s shifting tone toward Putin. Sam calls Putin “crazy like a fox” and blames Biden’s weak deterrence, arguing Ukraine will ultimately have to concede territory. Mike notes that while Congress is pushing for more sanctions, “if you give Putin an inch, he’ll take three and a half miles.” Justin worries that conceding ground may only encourage further Russian aggression and doubts anyone has real leverage to end the stalemate.

Next, the hosts discuss Elon Musk’s exit from his government role. Sam says Musk’s...

This week, Mike and Justin welcome conservative attorney Sam Dewey to the podcast. They start with a discussion of the big rulings this week on President Trump’s tariffs. Sam says the real issue is Congress giving too much tariff power to the president. Justin sees a troubling pattern of executive overreach. Mike highlights the irony that conservative legal doctrines may now limit Trump’s power.

Next, they turn to the latest bunch of clemency actions from President Trump. Sam defends the pardons as a response to “weaponized” prosecutions. Justin argues the beneficiaries are mostly Trump’s allies, no...

Mike talks about the The World with Marco Werman. For our listeners interested in global events, join the other 2.5 million listeners who tune into The World every week. I hope you will enjoy this excellent show as much as we do.