According2Sam Podcast

When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris first came into office, their first major piece of legislation was the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. Republicans attempted to negotiate a smaller bill, approximately 25 percent of the Democrat’s proposal. They argued that Congress had just passed a $900 billion stimulus and a $1.4 trillion omnibus package only a month before Biden was inaugurated. Additionally, they pointed out that a COVID-19 vaccine was already being distributed and that the pandemic was winding down. They also contended that adding $1.9 trillion to the trillions already spent in 2020 could lead to inflation. However, their arguments were largely ignored. With Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress, there was little need to consider Republican concerns. The American Rescue Plan passed without a single Republican vote in either the House or the Senate, with Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. How did this bill kickstart inflation? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #239.

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When Governor Walz was first introduced to us as Kamala Harris's running mate a few weeks ago, we were given an impressive overview of his career. We learned about his achievements as a teacher, his success as a football coach who led his high school team to a State Championship, and his distinguished military service, including 24 years with the Minnesota National Guard. We were also informed about his continued public service as a congressman and Governor of Minnesota. While this initial introduction painted Walz as an ideal candidate for Vice President, there are aspects of his background that were missing, and these omissions could pose challenges for Harris's campaign once the public learns of them. What are the parts of Governor Walz’s resume that Kamala left out in her introduction, and why did she leave them out? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #238.

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Kamala Harris hasn't discussed much about her policy positions since becoming the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, and many strategists suggest this is intentional. She aims to generate excitement around her candidacy before committing to potentially controversial policies or ones that may diverge from her previous positions. However, this past weekend, she deviated from this strategy by announcing her support for a "no tax on tips" policy, which seeks to eliminate taxes on tips for service industry workers. Harris made this announcement in Las Vegas, where it was unlikely to provoke controversy. Nevertheless, the policy faces criticism for another reason: Donald Trump had previously introduced the same policy in Las Vegas in June and has been campaigning on it for two months. Does Kamala Harris have any original policy ideas? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #237.

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Vice President Kamala Harris is running for president, but her campaign is anything but traditional. It's been three weeks since President Biden withdrew from the race, and the party rallied around Harris. However, she has yet to give a single interview with the press and has only answered a few questions while on the campaign trail. Her campaign has been unusually closed off to the media, and her website remains devoid of any policy positions or campaign promises. In fact, it seems that no one really knows what she stands for. Harris has been holding campaign events with large crowds, alongside her VP pick, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. They both repeat the same prepared speeches, never getting off script. Is Vice President Harris hiding, and if so, what is she trying to hide? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #236.

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The Democratic Party has long been associated with segregation, and even 50 years after the end of Jim Crow, they are still segregating Americans. For instance, a few months ago, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu faced criticism for hosting an "Electeds of Color" holiday party that excluded White elected officials. Additionally, two years ago, Nury Martinez, then-President of the LA City Council, resigned after a leaked audio recording revealed her making derogatory remarks about D.A. George Gascón while referencing, “the Blacks”. There are numerous examples, but one of the most striking occurred last week when Kamala Harris supporters organized Zoom calls segregated by gender and race, including separate calls for Black women only, Black men only, White women only, and White men only. It was the clearest sign in recent days that the Democratic Party is getting back to its roots. How did their focus on race and identity blow up in their faces last week? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #235.

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On Wednesday, both President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were invited to the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for a discussion on election-related issues. While Harris did not attend, Trump participated, leading to a highly contentious interview. Rachel Scott from ABC News pressed Trump on various topics, including whether he believed it was acceptable to refer to Vice President Harris as a "D.E.I." hire. When Trump asked Scott to define "D.E.I.", she did not provide a definition but rephrased her question to ask if Trump believed Harris is only on the ticket because she is a Black woman. Things got very interesting after that. Was Harris chosen as V.P. because she is a Black woman? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #234.

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Vice President, Kamala Harris's campaign is getting off to a terrific start. It started with a Zoom call that included 44,000 Black women, which raised $1.6 million. This was followed up with another Zoom call that included 160,000 White women, which raised an additional $10 million. Then 20,000 Black men joined a Zoom call and raised another $1.3 million, and there were also separate Zoom calls for White men, South Asian women, and of course, the LGBTQ+. Each of these calls added to her phenomenal haul of $200 million raised in a single week. It demonstrates a huge groundswell of grassroots support, but is it real, or is it astroturf? Is the hype around Kamala Harris coming from the bottom-up, or the top-down? Is all of the money she is raising really coming from many individual donors? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #233.

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The people protesting for a cease-fire in Gaza can no longer deny that they are supporters of Hamas, not after this week, when Hamas demonstrators took over Union Station in the nation's capital to protest Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The violent demonstration had many Hamas flags and Hamas headbands mingled in with Palestinian flags. No one asked those with Hamas flags to leave or told them they were not welcome. At one point, a demonstrator climbed the base of the Christopher Columbus monument and spraypainted, "Hamas is Coming" in red spray paint. The crowd erupted into cheers. They also took down American flags and replaced them with Palestinian flags. The American flags were then burned as the crowd chanted, "burn that s**t". What impact will these protests have on the upcoming election? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #232.

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The Director of United States Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle testified today in the House Oversight Committe. It was her first of hopefully many more appearances before Congress to answer for the security failures that very nearly costed President Trump his life. Cheatle stonewalled throughout the entire 3-hour hearing and answered few of the questions she was asked. At the end of the hearing both the ranking member and chairmen issued a joint letter asking for her to resign, which she has yet to do. The would-be assassin was identified as a potential threat an hour before President Trump took the stage. In the hearing today, Cheatle made a distinction between him being a 'suspect' and a 'threat'. What is the difference between a suspect and a threat according to the director, and when did the killer become a threat? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #231.

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The magic-bullet theory is the most ridiculous theory in the history of the scientific method. That’s because it isn’t a scientific theory. It was proposed by a young lawyer during the Warren Commission, after it became necessary to create the theory following the revelation that James Tague had been injured from a stray bullet. Their narrative only allowed Oswald to take 3 shots, so a stray bullet only left 2 shots, a fatal shot to Kennedy’s head, and the magic shot that went through Kennedy’s back, exiting his chest, hitting Governor Connelly in his back, exiting his chest, and hitting Connelly again in the wrist and then leg. Without the magic bullet it would suggest a second shooter and a conspiracy. Was there a second shooter? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #230.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.according2sam.com