DecodeDC

DecodeDC episodes:

• 12.28.2017

  225: Where's the line between religious freedom and civil rights?

  The clash of two American values -- religious freedom and freedom from discrimination –- didn’t seem so huge when a broad coalition of religious and civil rights representatives got together in a room in 1993. While starting from different ends...

  
• 12.21.2017

  224: The 2017 Lie of the Year

  Our friends at PolitiFact have sorted through a year of lies, fibs, exaggerations, fabrications and outright falsehoods to find the worst of the worst. PolitiFact’s Editor Angie Drobnic Holan joins us to reveal the 2017 lie of the year. See...

  
• 12.14.2017

  223: This is what happens when Congress polices itself

  Congress is considering changes to the way it handles sexual harassment complaints after its current rules have been called onerous by critics. We take stock of what might change with Patrick Terpstra of the Scripps Washington Bureau, and we speak...

  
• 12.07.2017

  222: The Changing Race of Immigration in America

  America has long sold itself as "the nation of immigrants." But when you look at our history -- even the halcyon Ellis Island days -- that branding has always come with an asterisk. Give us your tired, your poor, your...

  
• 11.30.2017

  221: What happens when the DOJ defies the courts?

  Judges in a legal stand-off. A power struggle between two branches of the federal government has left potentially thousands of undocumented immigrants stuck in detention centers with no idea how long they'll be there.  Are some immigration judges defying the law? Jimmy speaks to...

  
• 11.21.2017

  Revisiting how tax reform really works

  With Republicans pushing ahead on their plan to overhaul taxes for the first time in 30 years, we revisit an episode of DeocdeDC that explained how that reform 30 years ago actually came together. Jimmy speaks with two major players...

  
• 11.16.2017

  220: A Republican has some advice for the GOP

  Phyllis Henderson is a state representative in South Carolina, and she is worn out by the state of political discourse. We spoke with her right after the 2016 election, and she had some reservations. Now we check back in with...

  
• 11.09.2017

  219: Fact checking the link between mental illness and mass shootings

  Last Sunday, a gunman walked into a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire on the congregation -- killing more than two dozen people. The next day, President Donald Trump told reporters the mass shooting wasn't a "guns situation,"...

  
• 11.02.2017

  218: Don’t touch my tax loophole!

  It seems like for every winner in tax reform, there’s a loser. As the House beings its push for huge changes to how American people and companies pay their taxes, we explain the basics and dig into the intended and...

  
• 10.30.2017

  217: When politicians scream "bailout," what do they really mean?

  From the beginning of American politics, politicians have been using the term "bailout" as a political cudgel. In this week's podcast, Jimmy speaks with two experts who explain the what, when, why, where, and how of government bailouts. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

  
• 10.19.2017

  216: A coal community divided

  Residents of coal country are getting sick, but not everyone is convinced of the cause.  Our Newsy colleague Zach Toombs explains what the science says and what the government is — or is not — doing about it. See omnystudio.com/listener...

  
• 10.12.2017

  215: No one knows how big the opioid epidemic really is

  Local law enforcement and national politicians are struggling to deal with the opioid epidemic gripping American communities, in large part because no one can figure out just how big the problem is. We speak with Angela Hill, who led a...

  
• 10.05.2017

  214: Why can’t Congress get anything done on guns?

  Americans are once again mourning after another mass shooting. We explain why elected leaders fail — despite broad public support — to pass measures like additional background checks on firearm purchases. We speak with filmmaker Michael Kirk, who made the...

  
• 09.28.2017

  213: Got milk subsidies?

  What does the government have to do with the price of milk? Turns out – everything. For decades, government subsidies have tried to balance supply and demand for a commodity that is produced every day, at least twice day, everywhere...

  
• 09.21.2017

  212: What if the government gave everyone free money?

  A universal basic income isn't a new idea, but it's getting traction in politics today. It's a different type of safety net: free cash from the government, with absolutely no strings attached. It's never been tried in the US in...

  
• 09.14.2017

  211: The problem with FEMA's flood maps

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency maps flood plains across the country. The maps are intended to show which areas are likely to flood so that local governments can better plan for disasters. They also determine who must buy flood insurance, and at...

  
• 09.08.2017

  Bonus: Jeff Sessions spins the facts on DACA

  Attorney General Jeff Sessions made some questionable statements to justify ending, DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shielded 800,000 people who were brought to the US illegally as children. In this bonus episode, we fact-check some of those...

  
• 09.07.2017

  210: Why Washington isn’t ready for the next hurricane

  Hurricane Harvey caused billions of dollars of damage, and Hurricane Irma will likely cost even more. But how will the federal government pay for all of it, and is it possible that Washington had a hand in making the destruction...

  
• 08.31.2017

  209: The Texas town with no drinking water

  Contaminated drinking water is coming into the homes of tens of millions of Americans, especially in smaller, lower income communities, from aging, under-funded water treatment plant and distribution systems, poorly maintained private wells, and groundwater sources polluted by industrial dumping...

  
• 08.24.2017

  208: The military's toxic water problem

  The military spent decades contaminating the drinking and ground water at bases across the country and has spent billions to contain the mess. But the veterans and families who lived on those bases are still struggling with the long legacy...

  
• 08.17.2017

  207: The most important Senate job you’ve never heard of

  You may think the Senators have all the say -- but there's one person in the Senate who may have even more power. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough complicated the repeal-and-replace plan that Senate Republicans were pursuing when she said parts...

  
• 08.10.2017

  206: How protest movements can actually change peoples' lives

  Researchers Leah Wright Rigueur and Megan Ming Francis talk about where the social movements that have been so important to our politics in the last decade are going from here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 08.03.2017

  205: How the Tea Party, Occupy and Black Lives Matter shaped our election

  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 07.27.2017

  204: Should historians be pundits?

  Harvard Kennedy School professor Moshik Temkin says historians must do a better job in comparing our present to our past, and he argues why in a recent New York Times piece titled “Historians Shouldn’t Be Pundits.” He talks with Jimmy...

  
• 07.19.2017

  203: What you should know about Trump's voter fraud commission

  President Trump believes he would have won the popular vote -- if it weren't for the 3 million people that voted illegally. Even though there's no evidence to support his claim, he put together a commission to look into the...

  
• 07.13.2017

  202: How the GOP wants to change Medicaid

  Senate Republicans unveiled a health care plan that includes deep cuts in Medicaid. We explain what those changes are and how they will be felt by many of the 70 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener...

  
• 07.06.2017

  201: DC History 101 - Swamps and scandals, then and now

  So you may have heard DC referred to as a swamp in the past few months. The thing is, that's not just a political slogan - it used to be an actual swamp. Historian JD Dickey is here to tell...

  
• 06.29.2017

  200: Thousands of women are running for office. Guess why!

  There are a lot of Dicks in office. But after the 2016 election, we're seeing thousands of women sign up to run for office - more than ever before. Clare Bresnahan runs a non-profit called She Should Run that helps...

  
• 06.22.2017

  199: What you should know about the 5+ Trump-Russia investigations

  There are so many investigators looking into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign and the Trump Administration that it’s hard to keep track. That’s where friend of the show Victoria Bassetti of the Brennan Center comes in. She’s put together...

  
• 06.15.2017

  198: Your tweets can and will be used against you

  President Trump says he uses Twitter so he can get an "honest and unfiltered message out”to the American people. But investigators and even foreign governments are poring over his Tweets. Politico’s Darren Samuelsohn explains why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 06.08.2017

  197: The secret Senate filibuster you've never heard of

  For years, individual Senators have enjoyed wide sway in blocking judicial nominees who come from their home states. But that may soon change, as Republicans in the Senate try to transform the judiciary under President Trump. Ed O’Keefe of the...

  
• 06.01.2017

  196: Constitutional crisis? Take a deep breath.

  Law professor Keith Whittington says the term “constitutional crisis” gets thrown around way too much. He’s studied the topic, and he tells Jimmy we’re nowhere near one right now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 05.25.2017

  195: Three moments that shaped how presidents and Congress wage war

  Before David Barron was a federal judge, he was a lawyer helping President Obama wage war. He sheds light on the uneasy relationship between Presidents and Congress when it comes to military might, and reflects on his own role in...

  
• 05.18.2017

  194: Drain the swamp! Is that even possible?

  So how is Donald Trump is doing on his six promises to clean up corruption and limit special interests in Washington? And — maybe more importantly — what would happen if you really did pull the plug on the swamp...

  
• 05.11.2017

  193: Politicians playing politics with our bridges and roads

  America’s crumbling and obsolete infrastructure is a $2 trillion problem. Everyone agrees it needs a fix. So why can’t politicians make it happen? It’s a failure of leadership, says Harvard’s Rosabeth Moss Kanter. She explains why, and we visit the...

  
• 05.04.2017

  192: Why are we so polarized & can Trump fix it?

  If you feel like we're getting more polarized every day, you're right. According to a report by the Cook Political Report, the political divide in America is growing--and as Amy Walter tells us, Trump might be just the type of...

  
• 04.27.2017

  191: The four myths of Trump's wall

  Is the U.S. border with the Mexico really an open border? Is all the talk of building a wall for real, or is it just a metaphorical wall? And who’s really crossing illegally? We separate fact from fiction with the...

  
• 04.20.2017

  190: Russia is using you to destroy democracy

  Russians are using your own media echo chamber to undermine your confidence in democracy. So says Clint Watts, a former FBI agent who recently testified before Congress. We speak with him about why Russia is doing this, and why they’ve...

  
• 04.13.2017

  189: What's the difference between Trump and Obama's immigration rules?

  Since the election of Donald Trump, immigrants and their lawyers have been preparing for the worst. In part 2 of our series on the role some local police play in the enforcement of federal immigration laws, we spend time with...

  
• 04.06.2017

  188: Joking while Muslim in Trump's America

  Negin Farsad is fighting stereotypes one joke at a time. A self-described social justice comedian, Farsad jokes about Islamophobia, race and bigotry - trying to make people laugh and talk about identity. “People can conceptually hate another group of people…people...

  
• 03.30.2017

  187: Whose job is it to enforce immigration law?

  In the first of two episodes, we visit Frederick County Maryland where local law officers are working hand-in-hand with federal immigration officers to detain and deport undocumented immigrants in the community. Now President Trump wants to give them more authority...

  
• 03.23.2017

  186: The skinny on Trump's skinny budget

  The President came out with his version of the budget - which he called a "skinny budget". While lots of people freaking out, we ask: what is a skinny budget, and does it really matter?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 03.16.2017

  185: A warning against hyperpartisanship from 1796

  The warnings George Washington made in his farewell address — about hyperpartisanship, excessive debt, and foreign wars — have incredible resonance today, says John Avlon, the author of “Washington’s Farewell.” He speaks with Jimmy about what we can learn from...

  
• 03.10.2017

  184: Obamacare Trumpcare Healthcare 101

  What’s the individual mandate? Who’s in a high-risk pool? How do tax credits work in health care? With the debate over the future of health care in America raging, we go back to basics and explain some important concepts with...

  
• 03.02.2017

  183: Trump is at odds with the courts. Has a president ever defied them?

  President Donald Trump recently gave the federal courts the proverbial middle finger, lashing out on Twitter at a “so-called judge” who had ruled against him and promising “see you in court” after losing an appeal. Has this happened before or...

  
• 02.23.2017

  182: I'm a reformed lobbyist. Ask me anything

  You asked and we answered. This week: what’s the difference between lobbying and bribery, a real example of a lobbyist buying their agenda into law (or failing to), and the best reform for the lobbying industry. Plus, Jimmy’s former salary.See...

  
• 02.16.2017

  181: How cops can legally take your car, home, or cash

  When Tien Nguyen stopped at a rest area in Kansas, he didn't expect to have his car searched by the highway patrol - and when they took $40,000 he had in cash and sent him on his way, he was...

  
• 02.09.2017

  180: What the hell is a trade war?

  Everything you’ve always wanted to know about trade, trade deficits, tariffs, trade wars, courtesy of Felix Salmon of Slate Money. Plus, Felix explains which is better — a strong dollar or a weak one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 02.01.2017

  179: A user's guide to 'alternative facts,' aka lies

  Imagine being lied to, repeatedly, for days on end, and what that does to your brain. Well, you may not have to imagine it—it seems like more and more “alternative facts” are coming out of Washington every day. In this...

  
• 01.26.2017

  178: Hey Tea Party, meet your lefty cousins

  After this election, some on the left are feeling pretty powerless - but Angel Padilla isn't. He got together with 30 other former congressional staffers to put together a concrete guide on how to resist President Trump's policies, and they...