Politicology

Ron Steslow calls Molly McKew to discuss the escalating security crisis between Russia and the Wagner group, the private army that’s been fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

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Mike Madrid (Lincoln Project cofounder) and Lucy Caldwell (Walsh 2020 Campaign Manager) and host Ron Steslow unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(02:04) Justice Samuel Altio’s private jet imbroglio and Senate Democrat’ push for court reform

(30:33) China’s plans to build a joint military training facility in Cuba

(39:13) Fed Chairman Powell’s appearance before the House Financial Services committee

[Politicology+ Preview] Hunter Biden’s plea deal

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/madrid_mike

https://twitter.com/lucymcaldwell

What we read: 

Segment 1: 

ProPublica—Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court

WSJ—Justice Samuel Alito: ProPublica Misleads Its Readers - WSJ

Segment 2: 

WSJ—Beijing Plans a New Training Facility in Cuba, Raising Prospect of Chinese Troops on America’s Doorstep - WSJ

CNN—Blinken says he 'made very clear' US 'would have deep concerns' about Chinese military activities in Cuba | CNN Politics

Segment 3

CNN—Key takeaways from Fed Chair Powell's testimony

Politico—Fed poised for respite on rate hikes. Now the hurt begins. - POLITICO: 

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Evan Medeiros (Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Former Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the increasing tension in the United States’ relationship with China:

(02:31) How Evan became interested in China 

(04:04) Biden’s meeting with Xi in 2011

(07:00) What Evan learned about Xi during that visit

(09:39) CCP reform campaign

(12:50) How the relationship changed as Xi became leader

(16:50) How the invasion of Crimea changed who Xi viewed the west

(20:10) China’s role in current invasion of Ukraine

(22:10) China’s rejection of universal values

(26:50) China’s ​​“Global Civilization Initiative”

(28:18) How the Global Civilization Initiative could shape China’s relationship with the rest of the world 

(29:41) How Xi views Taiwan

(30:52) Biden’s commitment to protect Taiwan

(42:00) Reassessing our economic relationship 

Follow Evan on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-medeiros-b36733/

Follow Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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Lanae Erickson (Senior Vice President for the Social Policy & Politics Program at Third Way) and Amy Walter (Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Cook Political Report with Amy Walter) join host Ron Steslow to unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(03:00) The reactions to Donald Trump’s indictment

(36:36) The politics of privacy, including controversy over a federal program that allows the government to engage in surveillance

[Politicology+ Subscribers Only] The Supreme Court’s decision rejecting racially gerrymandered voting maps in Alabama that diluted Black voters’ power.

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/LanaeErickson

https://twitter.com/amyewalter

What we read: 

Segment 1:

WSJ—Trump’s Indictment May Pull Us Back From the Brink - WSJ

Politico—The Senate GOP's quiet but mighty Trump skeptics - POLITICO

Politico—Biden orders DNC and reelect to remain silent about Trump’s indictment - POLITICO

The Dispatch—‘But Her Emails’ Is Not the Defense of Trump His Supporters Would Like It to Be - Jonah Goldberg - The Dispatch

NYT—Christie Attacks Trump in CNN Town Hall, Calling Conduct Detailed in Indictment ‘Awful’ - The New York Times

CBS News—Trump delivered defiant speech after indictment hearing. Here's what he said. - CBS News

CNBC—'Trump can't win': Koch network releases ads targeting ex-president

Segment 2:

WP—National security officials make case for keeping surveillance powers to skeptical Congress - The Washington Post

CNN—FBI announces new curbs on controversial surveillance program as Congress considers whether to renew it | CNN Politics

Forbes—Jon Ossoff Grills Top FBI Official Over Abuses Of Citizens' Civil Liberties

Wired—The US Is Openly Stockpiling Dirt on All Its Citizens | WIRED

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George Conway (conservative attorney and Lincoln Project co-founder) and Ron Steslow discuss Donald Trump’s indictment on federal charges over his mishandling of classified documents and obstructing the government's efforts to reclaim them.

(01:38) Historical significance of charges

(08:50) Outlining the charges 

(16:15) How this case is different from Biden and Pence cases

(19:40) The significance of the tape of Trump admitting the documents were classified in 2021

(21:12) The impact that being on a “rocket docket” could have 

(25:40) How the jury makeup will (or won’t) impact the verdict 

(29:40) Trump’s potential defense strategy 

(42:00) Trump’s trouble getting a lawyer in Florida 

(54:14) What the best and worst case scenarios could look like

(55:39) Judge Aileen Cannon being assigned the case

Follow Ron and George on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/gtconway3d

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Matt Bennett (Executive Vice President for Public Affairs at Third Way) and Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica) join host Ron Steslow to unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(02:06) The No Labels plan for a third party presidential run 

(26:44) The primary field gets more crowded as Chris Christie and Mike Pence enter the field 

(40:25) Jonathan Hadit’s proposal to keep phones out of school 

[Politicology+ Subscribers Only] The Biden Administration’s proposed plans to ban certain household appliances. 

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/ThirdWayMattB

https://twitter.com/AndyKroll

What we read: 

Segment 1:

Bulwark—The No Labels Delusion

Third Way—Does No Labels’ Math and Map Get Them to the White House? – Third Way

NYTimes—‘No Labels’ Eyes a Third-Party Run Against Biden and Trump. Is Joe Manchin Interested? - The New York Times

CNN—New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu says he will not run for president in 2024: CNN Exclusive

NBC News—Maine election officials say No Labels may be misleading voters in its third-party push

Segment 2:

NYT—Pence Delivers Strong Rebuke to Trump in Campaign Announcement - The New York Times

CNN—Chris Christie kicks off 2024 campaign with sharp attacks on Trump | CNN Politics

Politico—Cornel West announces he's running for president - POLITICO

NBC News—Ron DeSantis makes a surprise visit to the southern border

Segment 3:

The Atlantic —Get Phones Out of Schools Now

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We live in a loud world that’s getting louder.

We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications.

But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?

 In fact, what is silence, anyway?

How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relationships?

Harvard and Oxford trained policymaker Justin Zorn and NASA consultant Leigh Marz join host Ron Steslow to discuss their new book, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise

(02:38) What we can all learn from how the Amish evaluate new technology

(07:25) The attention economy and why it’s not working for us

(13:44) Understanding “ma” and how we can use it to resolve conflict

(22:14) Using quality over quantity to measure productivity

(26:26) Ways to incorporate silence in your everyday life

(35:35) Silence and expanded states of consciousness using psychedelics 

You should read Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise : http://bit.ly/3UIGJU2

FollowJustin, Leigh, and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JustinZorn

https://twitter.com/LeighMarz

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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We live in a loud world that’s getting louder.

We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications.

But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?

 In fact, what is silence, anyway?

How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relationships?

Harvard and Oxford trained policymaker Justin Zorn and NASA consultant Leigh Marz join host Ron Steslow to discuss their new book, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise

(02:33) Leigh and Justin’s backgrounds 

(07:04) Why they began practicing silence in their own lives

(12:50) Why silence feels scary

(18:30) What is noise? 

(22:12) Internal silence is what people think it is

(30:19) The connection between noise and rigid thinking

(37:27) The historical significance of silence

You should read Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise : http://bit.ly/3UIGJU2

FollowJustin, Leigh, and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JustinZorn

https://twitter.com/LeighMarz

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert) and Hagar Chemali (Former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) join host Ron Steslow to unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(02:44) The deal to raise the debt ceiling 

(19:30) How getting this close to a default impacts the global economy and foreign affairs 

(33:52) Dianne Feinstein’s return to the Senate, her increasing reliance on aides, and the calls for her resignation coming from the left

[Politicology+ Subscribers Only] The Politics of delusion and how our misconceptions about what other people think could fuel an anti-democracy spiral 

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Check out Oh My World with Hagar Chemali on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omwshow

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/DelPercioS

https://twitter.com/HagarChemali

What we read: 

Segment 1:

NYT—New Details in Debt Limit Deal: Where $136 Billion in Cuts Will Come From

NBCNews—Debt ceiling vote live updates: House will take up the Biden-McCarthy plan tonight

NPR—Far-right members threaten a 'reckoning' over McCarthy's debt limit deal

AP—House debt ceiling vote to avert default on track with Biden and McCarthy both confident of passage | AP News

The Dispatch—Loaded With Gimmicks, but Still Worth It - Brian Riedl - The Dispatch

Segment 2:

AP News—What it would mean for the global economy if the US defaults on its debt | AP News

NYT—Republicans Are Putting Our Standard of Living at Risk

Segment 3:

NYT—Dianne Feinstein Relies Heavily on Staff to Function in Senate - The New York Times

WP—California Democrats divided on Dianne Feinstein serving to term’s end - The Washington Post

NYT—Why Dianne Feinstein, Like Many Before Her, Refuses to Let Go

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Molly McKew (Lead author of GreatPower.US) joins Ron Steslow to answer a listener's question about how the current war in Ukraine differs from Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and why support for Ukraine is greater now than it was then. 

(01:12) Keith’s question 

(09:40) Russia’s invasion of Georgia 

(12:00) How unprepared the U.S. was to respond 

(15:14) Russia’s invasion of the Crimean peninsula 

(37:00) Why there was so little resistance to Russia’s annexation of Crimea

(43:14) How our domestic politics shaped the lackluster response to Russia’s aggression. 

(47:51) What makes this invasion of Ukraine different? 

You should check out Great Power: https://www.greatpower.us/

Follow Ron and Molly on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/MollyMcKew

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