So That Happened

The government is on the verge of another shutdown, which is lots of fun for people who like political drama but less so for people who work in government, benefit from government services and think that Congress should be able to do its job.

Then we travel to south america: Nicholas Casey from the NYT is here to tell us what the hunt for Venezuela’s most wanted man tells us about the political and economic crisis in the country.

And the White House was employing a dude who couldn't get a full security clearance because he allegedly abused women, but the president is still there.

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Republicans are helping President Donald Trump undermine an investigation into his campaign's collusion with the Russian government, revealing that Trump is now in full control of the GOP.

Trump delivered his first State of the Union address, but I had a hard time hearing it because my dog kept barking at the TV for some reason.

And you might have seen news stories about people getting thousand dollar bonuses because of the new tax law. These stories have been very misleading, and we can explain why.

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The government's open, but where do we go from here? Democrats want legal status for 700,000 Dreamers, and they'll ultimately need President Donald Trump to make it happen. We talked to Michael Steel, a former aide to House Speaker John Boehner.

American infrastructure is a mess, and in Orlando, it's hurting poor people of color. HuffPost's Julia Craven looked at the effect of unchecked highway construction on one neighborhood.

And there have been major gerrymandering developments in Pennsylvania and voting rights developments in Florida. HuffPost's voting rights reporter Sam Levine will catch you up.

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The government might shut down this week and this is the ONLY podcast that can tell you HOW, WHY and also WHO to blame. We interviewed Congressman Ted Yoho, a conservative House Republican who definitely blames the Democrats.  

Republicans in Congress say text messages between two FBI agents have totally compromised the special investigation into Trump's campaign. What's more likely is that Republicans compromised the agents' marriages by exposing the affair they were having.

And this week, the question of Trump's mental and physical stability reached its savage climax. Is the president crazy? We're the ONLY podcast that has the answer.

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The government might shut down next week partly because Donald Trump refuses to help Dreamers without getting his wall or other policy changes -- Elise Foley reports from the Capitol.

The Trump administration wants work requirements for medicaid, so we talked to health policy reporter Jonathan Cohn about dog whistles.

The federal government stood aside as states legalized marijuana under the Obama administration, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions is changing THAT. Nick Wing explains how the Justice Department is re-asserting its authority on weed.

And Jessica Schulberg reports that some clever lawyers are using Donald Trump's foolish statements to try to spring people from GITMO.

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This week, America gained new insight into the fraught relationship between Donald Trump and his erstwhile white house strategist, Steve Bannon. It's like a Shakespearean drama, but just the parts where people insult and stab each other. SV Date joins to discuss.

Then, Huffpost's Luke O'brien breaks down his reporting on Andrew Anglin, one of the principal propagandists of the alt-right neo-nazi white-nationalist whatever-you-want-to-call-it movement. It's a story that sheds light on extremism in america, and it provoked an angry and very personal backlash.

Finally, Trump stepped up his long-established habit of tweeting ill-advised threats at nuclear-powered foreign leaders. Mike Fuchs from the Center for American Progress tells us whether it's time to start stocking up on canned food and hazmat suits.

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Tax reform is a big deal, but Donald Trump's reshaping of the judicial branch of government might be his biggest achievement of 2017. 

Republicans say the estate tax hurts farms and small businesses and that Congresswoman Kristi Noem's story shows it -- but it doesn't, and I'll explain why. 

And if you like Bitcoin, well you're not gonna like our third segment. Unless Bitcoin has already crashed by the time you hear it. 

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Republicans Pass Sweeping Tax Plan, Still Working On Basic Governance

This week, Republicans succeeded in passing their tax bill. So what did Arthur have for lunch?

Republicans won on taxes, but are looking shaky on children's health insurance, keeping the government open, and saving Dreamers from deportation. We talked to Adrian Reyna, a Dreamer who's been lobbying Congress about what might happen. 

And Zach Carter has a surprising amount of things to say about A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Season's greetings! 

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There are whispers that Paul Ryan might resign -- we asked Matt Fuller why and when this could happen and who could be the next speaker. 

Accused child molester Roy Moore lost the Alabama Senate race this week. Jen Bendery tells us what she learned when she went there to talk to voters. 

And the government could be about to crack down on a popular herbal supplement, even though some people are using it to cope with opioid addition. 

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