Politicology

Frank Sadler (Chief of Staff to Carly Fiorina), Nina Verghese (senior director and head of campaigns and advocacy at APCO Worldwide), and Scott Tranter (Investor and Advisor to Decision Desk HQ) continue their conversation with Ron Steslow about the 2024 Republican Primary and Tim Scott’s campaign announcement.

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Note: due to technical issues, we were unable to remove the background noise on this week’s episode. It’s not up to our usual standards and we’re working to ensure it doesn't happen again. 

(00:37) Tim Scott’s campaign launch. 

Watch his ad: https://bit.ly/3MUU1vc

(06:18) Tim Scott’s plan to appeal to evangelical voters

(08:37) The significance of Tim Scott’s $22 million war chest 

(15:10) Kellyanne Conway advising Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as he mulls a presidential campaign 

(19:30) Mike Pence’ plan to return Republicans to their pre-Trump party

(23:40) Is there a constituency for Asa Hutchinson and Chris Sununu 

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Crack the code of the 2024 Republican primary race with the intellectual firepower of four seasoned strategists with 80+ combined years working and running Republican campaigns.

This week, Frank Sadler (Chief of Staff to Carly Fiorina), Nina Verghese (Senior Director and Head of Campaigns and Advocacy at APCO Worldwide), and Scott Tranter (Investor and Advisor to Decision Desk HQ) join host Ron Steslow to discuss Ron DeSantis’s campaign announcement and the rest of the 2024 Republican Primary.

Note: due to technical issues, we were unable to remove the background noise on this week’s episode. It’s not up to our usual standards and we’re working to ensure it doesn't happen again. 

(02:40) Ron DeSantis’s campaign launch 

(07:20) DeSantis hitting his messaging points and leaning into his covid messaging 

(13:37) The significance of Elon Musk and David Sacks in the launch 

(18:30) The impact that DeSantis’s ground game spending could have on early primaries 

(31:37) Trump’s growing lead over DeSantis

(35:00) Nikki Haley tries to brand DeSantis as Trump without the charm

Watch her ad here: https://bit.ly/45xAnfP

(38:14) Haley’s upcoming CNN town hall 

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.

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https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/nverghese

https://twitter.com/stranter

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TikTok's potential risk to US national security is raising tough questions about how to address the challenge—legally. With 150 million Americans' personal data possibly falling into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party and fears of election interference via a foreign-controlled algorithm, TikTok finds itself in the harsh glare of the U.S. government's scrutiny. Broad bipartisan support favors aggressive action to ban the platform, but is such action even constitutional?

Join Joe Cohn, Director of Legislative and Policy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and Hagar Chemali, former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN. Together with host Ron Steslow, they dissect the potential impact of the RESTRICT Act that could not only ban TikTok but delegate sweeping power to the executive branch to go even further.Tune in to explore the delicate balance between national security and preserving free speech rights.

(03:10) The tensions between national security and the First Amendment

(10:39) How Edward Snowden’s leak shows this tension 

(16:05) The national security risks that TikTok presents 

(20:52) What is the status quo for determining if national security concerns can trump free speech rights?

(23:57 ) What the RESTRICT Act is and what it does 

(26:23) First Amendment concerns about the RESTRICT Act as it’s currently written 

(32:03) How this legislation relates to speech codes 

(43:43) Changes that legislators could make to the RESTRICT Act to better protect free speech 

(1:05:40) The new Montana Law banning TikTok 

(1:07:00) How China might respond if the RESTRICT Act passes

Check out Oh My World! with Hagar Chemali on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ohmyworldwithhagarchemali

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Lanae Erickson (Senior Vice President for the Social Policy & Politics Program at Third Way), Al Cardenas (former advisor to Presidents Regan and George H.W. Bush), 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:

(02:22) Sam Altman at the Senate hearing on Artificial Intelligence

(26:00) The Durham Report on the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Donald Trump 

(37:37) The APA’s warning about the harms of social media use for teenagers and record high rates of depression 

[Politicology+ Preview] President Biden’s politically-savvy push to bridge the degree gap for non-college educated workers. 

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:

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https://twitter.com/AndyKroll

What we read: 

Segment 1: Senate AI hearing 

NYT—Sam Altman, ChatGPT Creator and OpenAI CEO, Urges Senate for AI Regulation - The New York Times

Politico—AI hearing leaves Washington with 3 big questions - POLITICO

CNBC—Here's what happened during OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's first congressional hearing on artificial intelligence

WP—​​AI chatbots won’t enjoy tech’s legal shield, Section 230 authors say - The Washington Post

Segment 2: The Durham Report

Politico—Takeaways from the Durham report on the Trump-Russia probe - POLITICO

CNN—Special counsel John Durham concludes FBI never should have launched full Trump-Russia probe

WP—Durham report sharply criticizes FBI's 2016 Trump campaign probe

NYT—Durham Report Finds Fault With FBI Over Trump-Russia Investigation - The New York Times

Segment 3: Teens and Social Media

Gallup—U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs

NPR—Major psychologists' group warns of social media's potential harm to kids

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Claire Wardle (co-founder and co-director of the Information Futures Lab, and Professor of the Practice at the Brown School of Public Health) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the challenges( and failures) in improving our information landscape

(02:12) Claire’s background and how it led to her research

(05:52) Why terms like “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “malinformation” have become less and less useful 

(08:45) How the real world doesn’t fit the framework of “misinformation” and “disinformation”

(10:50) Why we share stories online and how that shapes the information environment

(21:40) The problems that arise from research silos

(25:13) How platforms can include users in content moderation decisions 

(37:07) What role do troll farms actually play in information pollution?

(39:44) How the focus on foreign actors stops researchers, academics, and government officials from reflecting sincerely on their failures

(44:00) Why we share stories online and how that shapes the information environment

(50:28) Improving community-led resistance 

(55:53) How viewing social media users as a product shapes content moderation decisions 

(1:01:30) How AI could impact the information landscape…

Watch Operation InfeKtion from the New York Times: https://bit.ly/3IjJUxo

Read Claire’s piece “Misunderstanding Misinformation”: https://bit.ly/3IlSFa1

Watch the video op-ed where the NYT turned Claire into Adele: https://bit.ly/3MzvNq5

Follow Ron and Claire on Twitter:

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https://twitter.com/cward1e

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Mike Madrid (Lincoln Project cofounder), Lucy Caldwell (Walsh 2020 Campaign Manager) and Romina Boccia (Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the Cato Institute) join host Ron Steslow to unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(02:05) The negotiations for raising the debt ceiling and cutting spending 

(34:30) The end of Title 42 and the surge in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border

[Politicology+ Preview] The rise of white nationalist Hispanics

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

https://twitter.com/RominaBoccia

What we read: 

Segment 1: Debt Ceiling negotiations

NYT—Biden and McCarthy Reach No Consensus on Debt Ceiling as Possible Default Looms - The New York Times

CNN—Biden to meet with congressional leadership again on Friday as threat of national debt default looms | CNN Politics

WP—White House leaves door open to deal that resolves debt ceiling crisis - The Washington Post

CNN—43 Senate Republicans vow to oppose debt ceiling increase without spending cuts | CNN Politics

NYT—What’s in the House GOP Debt Limit Bill - The New York Times

NYT—What Would the G.O.P. Plan Actually Do to the Budget? - The New York Times

Cato—The GOP’s Modest Debt Limit Proposal | Cato at Liberty Blog

Cato—Designing a BRAC-Like Fiscal Commission To Stabilize the Debt | Cato at Liberty Blog

Segment 2: End of Title 42

NBCNews—Biden admin to allow for the release of some migrants into the U.S. with no way to track them

Pew—Hispanics’ views on key issues facing the nation | Pew Research Center

NYT—U.S. Is Said to Consider Reinstating Detention of Migrant Families - The New York Times

Reuters—US family immigration detention won't restart 'at this time,' official says | Reuters

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Donna Redel (former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum) joins Ron Steslow to put the biggest financial stories in the news into context

(02:00) What would it mean to hit the debt limit?

(03:21) What a U.S. default would mean for individuals

(04:30) The role of trust in the monetary system

(07:00) How does the Fed control money supply

(12:50) Why the size of U.S. debt matters

(14:50) How Bitcoin is different from other crypto currencies

(20:17) How a new dominant currency would impact the U.S. economy

(23:23) The difference between our current currency and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)

(27:00) The risks of CBDCs

Follow Ron and Donna on Twitter:

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https://twitter.com/DonnaRedel

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Mike Madrid (Lincoln Project cofounder) and Jon Ward (Chief National Correspondent at Yahoo News) join host Ron Steslow to unpack some of the most important stories of the week and how they’re shaping the political landscape:

(02:00) Artificial Intelligence shaking up our political landscape

(34:43) J.P. Morgan’s purchase of First republic bank after it collapsed 

[Politicology+ Preview] President Biden’s “Freedom” messaging in his reelection campaign and his move to send troops to the border in anticipation of a major influx of migrants next week

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.

You should read Jon’s book Testimony: https://www.jonwardwrites.org/

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

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In Part 2, recorded 9 months after Part 1, Ron Steslow and Robert Chapman (Candidate for President of Zimbabwe) look at how the landscape has changed since they first talked, Robert’s goals for rebuilding the economy and infrastructure in Zimbabwe, why this is in America’s interest, the growing Chinese influence in Africa, the fight for democracy and the challenges his campaign has faced, and his plan to win.

(01:40) The security challenges of Robert’s campaign 

(07:00) Why Robert is running for president of Zimbabwe

(14:10) The challenge of economic development 

(22:10) The state of the campaign 

(24:52) Corruption and election interference in Zimbabwe 

(41:00)The Al Jazeera investigation into Corruption in gold mining 

(53:00) Building critical infrastructure over empty promises

(59:39) The importance of stabilizing the currency

(1:05:00) The influence of BRICS countries in Zimbabwe 

Learn more about Robert’s campaign: https://duz.org.zw/

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https://twitter.com/DrivenChapman

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This is a story about human rights, corruption, hyperinflation, rapacious economic development, a currency war, a diaspora, and one man’s mission to make meaningful change for suffering people in a failed state.

Robert Chapman (Candidate for President of Zimbabwe) join Ron Steslow to discuss the history of Zimbabwe and his campaign to become its next president :

(02:15) Robert’s background and childhood 

(09:10) Bitcoin and green energy

(11:50) Zimbabwe’s war for liberation

(16:35) The Reign of Mugabe

(23:17) Land reallocation and hyperinflation

(29:39) A military coup and its aftermath 

(35:50) Economic collapse and government corruption 

Learn more about Robert’s campaign here

Follow Ron and Robert on Twitter:

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https://twitter.com/DrivenChapman

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