On today's episode of Fault Lines, Garland and Lee discuss the shocking results of the first round of French elections and its relevance to the Trump election and Brexit, the looming U.S. budget standoff, and the social and cultural implications of the New Orleans removal of Confederate monuments.

The two mainstream parties that have governed France for the last 60 years have lost power as two outsiders vie for power. Garland and Lee discuss this and the factors that have produced shocking election results over the past year?

Our hosts discuss the prospects for a resolution of the upcoming U.S. congressional budget vote and how the President’s need for a border wall win will affect the outcome.

Garland and Lee address the City of New Orleans Government’s ongoing removal of Confederate monuments.