The Politics Guys

In this supporters' exclusive midweek episode, Mike and Justin discuss Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation as ambassador to Greece, the Trump administration's antitrust investigation into major news networks, and the extraordinarily short tenure of White House press secretary Katie Zacharia.

They begin with allegations that Guilfoyle solicited money and personal favors from wealthy Trump supporters, raising broader questions about political patronage, diplomatic appointments, and corruption. Next, they examine whether the Justice Department has a legitimate antitrust case against television networks that suspended White House press pool coverage—or whether the investigation represents another effort to punish critical media outlets. The di...

With the 2026 midterms approaching, Mike and Justin examine the increasingly difficult electoral landscape for Republicans, including Democrats' chances of capturing both chambers of Congress. They discuss record-breaking campaign spending, Elon Musk's extraordinary contributions, and why Trump is sitting on hundreds of millions in campaign funds while concentrating his rallies in Republican strongholds.

Next, the guys turn to the Justice Department's search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's home, examining allegations involving her citizenship and finances, previous investigations that produced no charges, and whether the timing suggests political intimidation rather than legitimate law enforcement.

Finally, they consider Trump's decision...

In this special full-length release of our normally supporters-only midweek episode, Mike and Michael Levy tackle a provocative question: Why are Donald Trump's approval ratings still so high? With approval in the 30s, Trump's popularity looks dismal by conventional standards. But given his controversies, policy failures, and challenges to democratic institutions, should his numbers be even lower?

Mike challenges Michael's argument (from his Substack - link below) as they explore Trump's unusually resilient political support, the role of partisan identity and affective polarization, and whether Trumpism can survive without Trump himself. They also examine whether Democrats are susceptible...

With the 2026 midterms less than four weeks away, Republicans still hold a major financial advantage—but increasingly have to decide which House and Senate races are worth saving. Mike and his fellow political scientist Michael Levy look at GOP spending pullbacks, Democratic opportunities, whether polls may still underestimate Republican support, and what it could all mean for control of the Senate.

Next, Tennessee’s second botched execution this year raises a larger question: is the problem lethal injection, or the death penalty itself? The guys discuss wrongful convictions, the economics and deterrent value of capital punishment, whether executions shou...

Former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan joins Mike to discuss why Congress has become less capable of governing—and whether it can still handle complex issues like cryptocurrency regulation. They talk about congressional dysfunction, concentrated leadership power, the decline of congressional expertise, earmarks, and the incentives that discourage lawmakers from taking political risks.

Then they turn to the CLARITY Act and the future of crypto regulation. Ryan makes the case for Congress setting clear rules for digital assets, while Mike presses him on an understaffed CFTC, Trump’s crypto interests, Democratic opposition in the Senate, industry campaign spending, community bank...

On this midweek supporters-exclusive episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) and Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa) launch a brand-new miniseries examining key structural, legal, and constitutional turning points in contemporary American politics.

In Part 1 of a three-part retrospective on the 2000 Presidential Election, Trey and Justin bypass the immediate impulse to jump straight to the Florida recounts and Bush v. Gore. Instead, they analyze the campaign fundamentals, economic voting models, strategic messaging blunders, third-party dynamics, and election night anomalies that turned a booming 1990s economy into a dead-heat coin toss between Al...

On this week’s episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) is joined by Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa). The hosts open with a discussion on an impoundment or recession request to House Speaker Mike Johnson proposing budget cuts just days before the fiscal year ends. Trey and Justin explain how such recessions have happened before and how they clash with Article I spending power, before agreeing that despite the Government Accountability Office’s standing to sue, this creates a new precedent for power for all presidents. 

Next, the pair examine the viral oversight blund...

Mike talks with Lindsay Owens, president and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative and author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet, about how new technologies are changing what companies know about consumers—and how much they can charge them.

They discuss an Instacart experiment that found shoppers being shown different prices for identical groceries, the RealPage controversy over algorithmic rent-setting, and the growing use of dynamic and surveillance pricing. Lindsay explains why the shift from posted prices toward individualized “willingness to pay” pricing could fundamentally change how markets work.

M...

Mike and Jay open this supporters’ exclusive midweek episode with California’s settlement of its antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. They debate whether California extracted meaningful concessions or folded under pressure, how the relevant media market should be defined, and whether concerns about David Ellison’s growing influence over CBS and CNN really belong in an antitrust case at all.

Next, they turn to the Protect College Sports Act and Congress’s attempt to bring order to the chaotic post-NIL world of college athletics. Mike and Jay discuss federal rules for NIL deals, tra...

With just over a month until the midterms, Mike and Jay look at the increasingly difficult electoral environment for Republicans. They discuss Democrats’ generic-ballot advantage, unexpectedly competitive Senate and gubernatorial races, the GOP’s major fundraising edge, Trump’s effect on Republican candidates, and why campaign spending may reveal more than the polls.

Next, they turn to Xi Jinping’s state visit and the striking contrast between the elaborate White House pageantry and the summit’s limited substantive results. The guys discuss the temporary tariff truce, Taiwan, Trump’s treatment of a $14 billion arms package as a negotiating chip, China’...

Mike talks with Joan C. Williams and Jared Abbott, authors of The Left’s Coalition Crisis, about why Democrats have struggled with working-class voters and what they can do about it. Williams and Abbott argue that the familiar progressive-versus-moderate debate misses the point: successful candidates need “class competence”—an understanding of working-class values around hard work, security, family, and respect. They discuss striking survey findings on affordability, immigration, crime, abortion, childcare, expertise, and defending democracy; why anti-corruption may resonate more than warnings about authoritarianism; how progressive policies can gain support when framed around everyday concerns; and whether Democratic donors and activist...

Mike talks about the What Could Go Right podcast. For our listeners interested in global events, it offers a refreshing and more balanced view of what’s happening in the world. I hope that you'll enjoy it.

On this midweek supporters-exclusive episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) and Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa) bring their year-long subseries on Contemporary Political Ideologies to a close.Shifting away from political philosophy and the formal content of political doctrines, Trey and Justin dive into the empirical, behavioral, and psychological research surrounding how average citizens actually hold, process, and express political beliefs.

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On this week’s episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) is joined by political scientist Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa), filling in while Ken Katkin takes a short hiatus. The hosts break down a bizarre Senate Judiciary oversight hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel, an explosive congressional report on executive pardon brokers, a House vote to end U.S. military operations in Iran alongside a parliamentary standoff that sent Congress home early, and the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in three years.

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Mike talks about the What Could Go Right podcast. For our listeners interested in global events, it offers a refreshing and more balanced view of what’s happening in the world. I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Mike talks with Blake Ashby, co-founder of the Institute for Urban Capitalism and author of Socialism and the Democratic Party: The Case for a Return to Moderated Capitalism. They discuss why younger and older Americans hear very different things when they hear “socialism,” what Marx got right about capitalism—and where socialism goes wrong—and why Ashby argues that neither laissez-faire capitalism nor state control offers a workable answer. They also examine worker cooperatives, public utilities, deregulation and inequality, the role of government in making markets possible, capital flight, taxation, and Ashby’s case for “bubble-up economics.” The conversation closes with a politic...

Mike and Michael open this midweek supporters’ episode with the Trump administration’s new Postal Service rules for mail ballots, a federal judge’s injunction blocking them, and whether the Supreme Court is likely to intervene. That leads to a broader debate over Trump’s attacks on mail voting, election distrust, MAGA’s cult-like dynamics, and whether criticism of the Supreme Court’s emergency docket is justified.

Next, they examine the administration’s effort to use the federal SAVE system to verify voter citizenship, including privacy concerns, inaccurate records, and the risk of eligible citizens being removed from the rolls.

Mike talks about the What Could Go Right podcast. For our listeners interested in global events, it offers a refreshing and more balanced view of what’s happening in the world. I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Mike and Michael mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 before turning to the GOP’s first midterm convention, Trump’s effort to mobilize lower-propensity voters, John Fetterman’s unusual Republican outreach, and the battle for control of the Senate. They also discuss the New Hampshire and Rhode Island primaries and debate Missouri’s redistricting fight, including whether changing congressional maps between a primary and general election creates serious constitutional and democratic problems.

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On this midweek supporters-exclusive episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) is joined by Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa) in an extra-long preview for non-supporters. Listen to an entire segment this week as Trey and Justin break down a high-stakes constitutional dispute over interstate extradition between Minnesota and Texas. Then, join as Trey and Justin debate the ethical boundaries between research or search tools, such as Gemini Notebook, and generative engines. What sparks the debate? Stanley Druckenmiller’s acknowledgement that his commentary piece was published using AI and the Wall Street Journal’s Paul Gigot defending the...

On this week’s episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) is joined by Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa), filling in while Ken Katkin takes a few weeks away from the show. The pair start by looking at breaking down the decision of SCOTUS to allow the White House Ballroom Construction to continue. Trey and Justin discuss the mechanics of standing and why both agree that on its merits the petitioners lack standing. They dig deeper to discuss why unsigned orders draw criticism, and how congressional inaction creates systemic blind spots in checking executive power.

Is America really losing its technological edge to China? Mike talks with Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, about why U.S. tech dominance may be stronger than it looks—and why China has nevertheless become a genuine innovation powerhouse. They explore Silicon Valley’s surprising government roots, the critical role of venture capital, Europe’s struggle to compete in AI, South Korea’s giant conglomerates, Singapore’s unusually capable state, the demographic threat facing innovative economies, and why geography may matter more—not less—in an increasingly digital world.

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