The 35-day federal government shutdown may be over - for now - but the long terms effects will be felt by hard working Americans for months and perhaps years to come. $200 million in spending per week was lost not only by federal workers, but contractors and the people working in businesses that count on those dollars to survive. Elise and Steve discuss the political fallout from Donald Trump’s PR stunt gone horribly wrong. 
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Shutdown Fallout

American politics is undergoing seismic changes that will alter the course of history. At Words Matter, we believe that facts, evidence, truth and objective reality are necessary and vital in public discourse. Our hosts and guests have broad experience in government, politics and journalism -- this gives them a unique ability to explain recent events and place them in historic context. Together, with fellow journalists, elected officials, policy-makers and thought-leaders, they will analyze the week's news and get at the real truth behind all the distracting headlines. New episodes are released on Fridays.

News

Government

The House is its own special kind of crazy, but the Senate is no slouch either. Tom Cotton’s recent comments calling for Americans to “take matters into their own hands” in response to protests reminds us that Senators can seemingly call for acts of violence and get away with it. Norm and Kavita break down the fall of accountability in the Senate and why some Senators continue to embarrass the institution. 
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Accountability is Gone but Not Forgotten in the Senate

House Republicans are fighting or floundering, Mike Johnson is traveling to Mar-a-Lago to pray at the altar of Trump, and Arizona lawmakers grapple with an archaic abortion law. All in a week’s work for this Republican Party. Norm and Kavita discuss the farce that is the contemporary Republican agenda and more.
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Republicans are Reaching New Levels of Ineptitude

The Biden administration’s policy towards Israel has been controversial to say the least. As the conflict grinds on and the election approaches, it is clear that the conflict will loom large in the voting booth. Norm and Kavita break down the key issues that Biden faces, and why the administration desperately needs a new strategy. 
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Joe Biden’s Israel Problem is Going from Bad to Worse

The Supreme Court recently commenced hearings on a case that could restrict access to mifepristone, and the results were surprising. Only Justices Alito and Thomas appeared inclined towards supporting the ban on the drug, raising questions about the court's future direction. Norm and Kavita delve into the nuances of the hearing and the significant influence of women on the case.
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How is the Supreme Court Still Surprising Us?

It’s an open secret that Congress is broken. Between extremism from House Republicans to an inability to pass a budget, there is something deeply wrong on the Hill. Norm and Kavita discuss the ways in which we can fix our ailing system, and why some solutions even have the ever elusive support of Republicans. 
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Shutdown Fallout

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