Mea Culpa welcomes back, intrepid newsman, Ali Velshi. Host of “Velshi” and seemingly the favorite fill-in host of every other MSNBC Prime Time News Show. Velshi also reported live from the frontlines of the George Floyd protests, he was drenched during hurricane Ian. And dodged incoming fire from Russian artillery when he fearlessly reported live from the frontlines in Ukraine. A concerned citizen of the world, Velshi seems to be everywhere there is an injustice. He has been a contributor at CNN, Al Jazeera America, and NBC to name a few. Velshi is also a prolific writer and has written books, articles, and columns for newspapers and monthly publications throughout the northern hemisphere. Michal and Ali discuss the NRA, TicTok, and Trump's indictment. 

Mea Culpa welcomes David L. Marcus. Marcus has worked as a foreign correspondent, education reporter, and columnist at the Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Newsday, and U.S. News. David L. Marcus has worked as a foreign correspondent, education reporter, and columnist at the Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Newsday, and U.S. News. As South America bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News, he shared the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, for a series about violence against women. David wrote two books about education and parenting, What It Takes to Pull Me Through and Acceptance. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and GQ magazine to name a few. Marcus is the cousin of the infamous lawyer, Roy Cohn. He wrote a quintessential piece about Cohn for Vanity Fair shortly after his death. Davis and Michael discuss Roy Cohn's relationship and influence on Trump and Rubert Murdoch and how it plays out today.

Mea Culpa welcomes back to the show one of our favorite people from the Lincoln Project, Tara Setmayer. Setmayer is a former CNN political commentator, a contributor to ABC News, and a former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She's appeared on ABC's The View, ABC's Good Morning America, and HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. Setmayer was also named a Harvard Institute Resident Fellow. And in 2020, she joined The Lincoln Project as a senior advisor. Setmayer hosts a great live show called "The Breakdown" alongside Rick Wilson, you can find it on the Lincoln Project’s streaming channel, LPTV. Michael and Tara dig into foreign policy, culture wars, and the GOP's stand with Trump.

Mea Culpa welcomes back, the Brooklyn Dad Defiant, or simply BDD. BDD is a left-wing political commentator on Twitter, YouTube,  and various other social media platforms. His outspoken defiance and often humorous take on the Trump administration have earned him almost a million Twitter followers. Since the riots at the Capitol on January 6, BDD has used his platform to bring attention to GOP lawmakers like MTG, Cruz, Jordan, and Biggs, asking that they face consequences for their actions in connection to the insurrection. He calls himself a proud papa who is perpetually pissed. Michael and BDD dig deep into the culture wars, the Dobbs decision, and DeSantis.

Today we welcome back to our show, Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and an independent political strategist. A veteran public affairs and political commentator with over 20 years ’ of experience, Reed has been involved in politics, government, and business at the highest levels. Galen has spent more than a decade advising Fortune 50, 100, and 1000 companies needing high-level counsel in strategic communications, procurement, and legislation. In addition to his private sector work, Reed has managed several high-profile ballot measure campaigns in California, Texas, and Colorado – Before moving to the private sector, Reed served as Deputy Campaign Manager for John McCain’s presidential campaign and Deputy Campaign Manager for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2006 re-election campaign. Galen also worked on both of President George W. Bush's campaigns and served the Bush Administration at both the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security. Michael Reed dig deep into Trump's claim that he was being indicted yesterday and DeSantis ant woke act and what that means for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Mea Culpa welcomes back to the show, legendary newsman David Corn. Corn is the Bureau Chief of Mother Jones and an on-air analyst for MSNBC. Corn and Michael Isikoff “co-authored, “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump”. He’s also the author of four New York Times best-selling books and was the long-time Washington editor for “The Nation”. For a good read, check out “Our Land”. His twice-weekly newsletter that covers everything from news of the day to entertainment, but all told in Corn’s no-bullshit style. Corn has been published multiple times, but his latest bestseller,” American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy” is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the unprecedented times we live in. David and Michael take about the Georgia investigation, and what's coming for Trump on all the different legal fronts.

Mea Culpa welcomes back to the show, politician, radio talk show host, podcaster, and former Republican, Joe Walsh. Walsh was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 from Illinois’s 8th District. He also ran for president and then blew up his life when he spoke out against the MAGA cult and gave Trump the bird. To quote Joe, Republicans “have become fully radicalized and anti-democracy.” Joe’s podcast, “White Flag” strives to find a path to unite, not divide us politically, but he pulls no punches in his latest book, “F*ck Silence: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is.” So let’s go now to my conversation with Joe Walsh. Micheal and Joe dig into the possibility of Trump getting the GOP nomination, Fulton County, and the weaponization of the DOJ.

Mea Culpa welcomes back our good friend Norm Eisen. There’s pretty much nothing going on in politics today that Eisen doesn’t have an educated opinion about. Eisen is a CNN Legal Analyst.  And the founder and executive chair of “States United Democracy Center”, a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. Eisen served as special counsel to President Barack Obama on ethics. In that role, he was dubbed “Mr. No” and the “Ethics Czar” because he's well known for his tough anti-corruption approach to governance. Eisen is also active with the Brookings Institute and other groups working to expose the myriad of ways Trump and others like him broke the law and attempted to overturn the 2020 election. Eisen is also working with the Brookings Institute to help Ukraine recover and thrive once Putin’s war has ended. Michael and Norm dig into Trumps legal woes for and possible upcoming indictments.

Mea Culpa welcomes back Rick Wilson, longtime Republican political strategist, infamous negative ad-maker, and commentator. Since 2015, he's been a leading conservative critic of Donald Trump. His regular column with The Daily Beast is a hilarious and spot-on must-read in the political community. He is also a founding member of the Lincoln Project. Rick’s been published in The Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, The London Spectator, Rolling Stone, The New York Daily News, USA Today, The Bulwark and beyond and he’s constantly called upon for sharp political insights on the national news networks, including CNN and MSNBC. He’s also a fan favorite on Real Time with Bill Maher. A 30-year veteran of politics, Rick got his start in the 1988 Presidential campaign of George Herbert Walker Bush, and since has produced groundbreaking advertising and provided strategic counsel to political campaigns across the nation and around the world. Rick is also a best-selling author, his latest book is “Running against the Devil” and his #1 New York Times, best-seller, “Everything Trump Touches Dies” which quintessentially defined the Trump era. Michael and Rick dig into the politics of the GOP, the democrats, and the House. 

Mea Culpa welcomes back a very special guest, John Dean. For those of you who lived through Watergate, his name is synonymous with the political intrigue of the 1970s. Dean served as White House Counsel for President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In that position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent scandal and cover-up. Referred to as the "master manipulator of the cover-up" by the FBI, Dean’s testimony before the House was watched by some 80 million Americans. Granted immunity, Dean laid out in stunning detail and intricacy how the President not only knew about but orchestrated the break-in and burglary of the DNC. He ultimately was sentenced to one year in Federal Prison but emerged from the experience as a changed and soulful individual. Dean renounced his former politics and started a second life as an author and speaker. He’s penned five books about Watergate and 10 books in total; including his most recent tome, Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and his Followers. Dean is now the last man standing from that era, He is the last connection between this nation’s authoritarian past and present. Michael and John dig deep into Watergate, January 6th, and DOJ.