On this Very Special Episode of the Rational Policy Podcast, your hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay skip the news of the day and talk turkey. Thanksgiving turkey, that is. We spend the whole episode in a wide-ranging conversation about this fabulous American holiday, touching on food, entertainment, traditions, and gratitude. If you work for Big Turkey, this may not be the podcast for you. But for everyone else, it’s a good one.

On Episode 17 of the Rational Policy Podcast, your hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay do a deep dive on one topic and one topic only: the intramural fracas on the American right. We discuss the key players, break down the controversies that led up to the current infighting, and explain why this matters, even for those who aren’t terminally online.

In Episode 16 of the Rational Policy Podcast your hosts, Mike Coté and Art Vandelay, start off by remembering former vice president Dick Cheney, who died this week at age 84. Next, we recap the elections in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia. Will New York City come out unscathed from a Mamdani mayoralty? Finally, we do a lightning round trip through Donald Trump’s Asia sojourn, where he met with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and China.

In episode 15 of The Rational Policy Podcast, we hit on three topics ranging from executive authority to military policy to cultural sickness. First, we discuss the presidential pardon power in light of recent scandals with both former President Biden and his successor Donald Trump. Next, we shift gears and move to Venezuela, one of the biggest potential flashpoints for the American military in the coming weeks. Finally, we wrap up by detailing the latest sports gambling scandal and what it says about the world of modern sports entertainment.

The Rational Policy Podcast is back with Episode 14, diving into the biggest stories of the week. First, we discuss the defense of Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner against a series of awful news stories. Next, we give an update on the tenuous ceasefire deal in Gaza and touch on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Finally, we detail the No Kings protests and whether they will have a lasting impact.

On episode 13 of the Rational Policy Podcast, join your hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay for a deep dive on two important subjects in today’s politics. First, we discuss the US-brokered hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, delving into the specifics, the reactions, and more. The second topic revolves around the rising trend on both left and right to avoid criticism of excesses, abuses, or issues on their own side of the aisle.

On episode 12 of the Rational Policy Podcast, your hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay dive into many of the week’s major news stories. We discuss the recent $150 million acquisition of The Free Press by Paramount/CBS. Next, we talk about the controversies around immigration enforcement across the country. Finally, Mike briefly rants on the ridiculously short prison sentence handed out to the would-be assassin of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Episode 11 of the Rational Policy Podcast discusses the week in news, from the severely under-covered to the aggressively over-covered. On the former front, we have the foiling of a foreign (likely Chinese) plot to take down New York City’s telecommunications system. Next, we touch on the heavily-covered indictment of former FBI director James Comey. Finally, we detail the new peace plan for Gaza.

On this episode of the Rational Policy Podcast, we discuss one topic and one topic only: the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We detail the case updates, including the arrest of the alleged shooter Tyler Robinson, what we know about him, and how he may have been radicalized. We then move to the reactions to the murder from both left and right. Lastly, we talk about where we go from here and how we may be able to bring Americans back to a place of normalcy.

Episode 9 of the Rational Policy Podcast (recorded Wednesday 9/10) is a solemn one, discussing the assassination of 31-year-old conservative megastar Charlie Kirk. We follow that with another awful crime, the murder of a Ukrainian refugee by a lunatic repeat offender on public transit. We then break down the Russian drone incursion into Poland. Finally, we touch on the Israeli airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar.