Mike talks with attorney, former law school dean, and current Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. In 2022, Secretary Benson was recognized for her refusal to back down in the face of threats and harassment in the wake of the 2020 presidential election with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. She’s running for governor of Michigan in 2026 and is the author of the recently released book The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What’s Right When the Stakes Are High.

Topics Mike & Secretary Benson discuss include:

- why Donald Trump called Secretary Benson a ‘rogue secretary of state’

- why we need more warriors in our already-contentious politics

- how politics awards risk-averse behavior

- why more Republicans in Congress aren’t challenging President Trump

- if states should roll back their COVID-era election changes

- the importance of fixing things that aren’t broken (yet)

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In this Constitution show Trey and Ken tackle two amendments: the 20th and the 22nd. The 20th changes when and how Congress and the President take office. The 22nd formalizes the precedent of President Washington’s two term limit. The pair delve into the history, ratification, and implementation of the 20th and 22nd amendment!

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Trey and Ken open with a detailed look into Trump’s first 100 days in office. This includes a conversation as to why we rate presidents’ first 100 days along with detailed discussions of Trump’s handling of both economic policy and foreign policy. Imbedded in this conversation is a look at the U.S. / Ukrainian resources deal and what that means for the future of the war and an extended conversation on Mike Pence leaving as National Security Advisor and his chances to make it past the Senate to be the new ambassador to the United Nations.

Next, they turn to a detailed examination of Judge Fernando Rodriguez’s ruling against the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). Included here is a conversation about how sympathetic Judge Rodriguez’s is and yet his ruling putting a halt to the Trump administration’s deportation plans.

They close the show with a look at Trump’s breaking budget on Friday.

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Mike talks with Mike Nellis, former Senior Advisor to Kamala Harris and Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Authentic, a digital marketing agency that’s raised over a billion dollars for campaigns and had a 77% client win rate in 2024. 

Topics Mike & Mike discuss include:

- the evolution of political fundraising

- how AI is being used in political marketing

- White Dudes for Harris

- what went wrong for Democrats in 2024

- the authenticity of Donald Trump

- working class voters and the Diploma Divide

- The Rock for President

- Pete Buttegieg - the best Democratic communicator?

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Mike and Justin open with a look at President Trump’s executive orders concerning higher education: one on accreditation, another on reporting foreign funding, and a third concerning historically Black colleges and universities. Following that they turn to Trump’s actions on K-12 education, one focusing on artificial intelligence and the other on discipline in schools.

They close with a discussion of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on a case involving parents who want to opt out their children from readings that include LGTQ+ themes.

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Mike and Justin open with a discussion of yet another wild week for the world economy, largely due to instability caused by President Trump’s changing positions on trade and the economy. He hates the Fed Chair he appointed but won’t fire him (even though he claims he can), says the US is talking with China, which China denies, and is now dealing with multiple lawsuits challenging his authority to impose broad-based sanctions using emergency powers.

Next they turn to what appears to be Elon Musk’s coming departure from DOGE. They look at how DOGE’s work has affected Musk, how much DOGE has actually saved, and whether it was ever about efficiency, as opposed to control.

They close with a look at the latest Ukraine peace deal, which seems more like a demand that Ukraine surrender more than anything else.

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Mike talks with Adam Swart, the founder of Crowds on Demand, the original paid protesting firm, and a leading expert on protests, political optics, and narrative strategy. A lifelong liberal, Adam now finds himself increasingly "not liberal enough" for many in the modern Left.

Topics Mike and Adam discuss include:

- the false dichotomy between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ protests

- why every significant protest is a paid protest

- the left’s protest advantage over the right

- throwing tantrums vs getting things done

- the importance of barking up the right tree

- making geeky issues exciting

- if short-sellers could have been behind the Tesla protests

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Mike and Trey open with a look at a recent Trump Executive Order intended to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Mike is generally in favor, though he doesn’t see it as having a huge impact. He also points to the absurdity of importing prescription drugs from Canada, arguing that it’s a sign of a fundamentally broken system. Trey makes the case that even if this EO results in savings, it doesn’t come close to offsetting the additional healthcare costs imposed on many Americans by Trump administration policies.

Next, they turn to tax policy and IRS cutbacks. Mike points out that eviscerating IRS enforcement makes no sense if the government really cares about efficiency or enforcing the law. Mike and Trey also get into tariffs (essentially a regressive consumption tax), tax burden, tax complexity, and ways the tax code might (but probably won’t) be improved.

They close by considering the historic number of executive actions taken by Donald Trump over the first three months of his second term, as well as the equally historic record of non-accomplishment when it comes to passing laws.

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Mike and Trey open by considering the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. They consider how both the left and right see Abrego Garcia, the legal battles surrounding his illegal deportation and possible return (don’t hold your breath), and if we’re near a point at which the Trump administration openly defies the courts.

Next is a discussion of the Trump administration’s attempts to bring Harvard University to heel, and Harvard’s resistance. They consider both the legal questions raised as well as how all this might play out at a time when trust in higher education is at a historic low.

They close with a look at the Iran nuclear talks. Trey thinks this could end up being a win for Trump, and while Mike doesn’t necessarily disagree, he argues that the first Trump administration largely created the situation he’s now trying to fix.

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