Political (in)Sanity

In Episode 28, bestselling author Craig Unger shares the revelations in his new book "House of Trump, House of Putin," showing decades of connections between the President and the Russian mafia. In particular, Unger has researched the flow of Russian mob money laundering into Trump-branded properties. Take a listen!

In Episode 27, Melissa and Matt speak with author and strategist Molly McKew, a specialist in the integration of cyber warfare and psychological operations- in other words, the disinformation war we see being waged everywhere across our social media!

McKew says the West is already at war, whether we want to be or not, calling Putin's operations in 2016 a modern-day "Pearl Harbor."

Molly McKew has served as an adviser to the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili from 2009 to 2013. She is a writer and expert in information warfare specializing in U.S.-Russia relations. She also has her own lobbying firm, Fianna Strategies. Riveting and sobering insights from her here- take a listen:

In Episode 26, former FBI Special Agent Asha Rangappa shares her insights about the latest twists and turns in the Russia investigation. Not only is Rangappa the real-life version of the hit show "Quantico," she's also now the director of admissions and a senior lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where she teaches National Security Law. Lots of ground covered so listen here!

In Episode 25, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston says "it's even worse than you think." In fact, that's the title of his new book on the Trump White House. Johnston has been covering Trump for three decades and says, the national media is focusing on palace intrigue in Washington and ignoring more important stories. Listen to find out what what he's getting at!

In Episode 24, Melissa and Matt speak with attorney, CNN legal analyst and money laundering expert Michael Zeldin. Zeldin, a former deputy to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, says he thinks it's virtually inevitable that the president will eventually be compelled to testify as the Mueller probe continues to deepen. Lots more here including a deep dive into how money laundering investigations work. Take a listen!

In Episode 23, Melissa and Matt speak with Alison Parker, who directs U.S. Programs for Human Rights Watch. Critics of the Trump administration won't be surprised to learn Parker says HRW's 2018 report finds Trump's first year in office has marked a sharp regression in the promotion and protection of human rights in this country and around the world.

Happy New Year! In our first podcast of 2018, prolific blogger and pundit Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post's Right Turn Blog gives her thoughts on everything from the fallout over Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury," to whether she thinks the Trump administration has committed obstruction of justice (yes). This vocal #NeverTrump conservative also has some interesting comments about what it's like to be an ardent Trump opponent within the Republican Party. Jump in, political junkies!

In Episode 21, an incendiary Steve Schmidt holds nothing back as he eviscerates not only the GOP for equivocating on Senate candidate Roy Moore- but also, lets fly with his totally unvarnished observations on President Trump, the culture of Washington, the Russia probe, and much, much more. Schmidt famously ran John McCain's 2008 run for the presidency and has been vocal about issues in his own party and in our politics ever since. This one is a can't-miss!

In Episode 19, Melissa and Matt speak via Skype with Russian journalist and author Andrei Soldatov. Soldatov is the co-author of "The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries." The book details how how the Kremlin uses the Internet to its advantage around the world, and with the aim of destabilizing democracies. There's now a new version of the book with an additional chapter on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Soldatov has fascinating insights, straight from Moscow, on Putin's Russia and his real motivation for meddling in our election (hint: remember the Panama Papers?) There's much more here after the jump!