Mike and Justin open with a discussion of the wild pace of events since Donald Trump’s inauguration. They give Trump credit for shaking things up (for better or worse) but think that “move fast and break things” might not get even Trump supporters the results they ultimately want. Justin thinks Trump did a poor job as “national comforter” following the worst US air disaster in over 20 years by choosing to use the moment to make unsubstituted claims about DEI policies and to attack previous administrations.

Following that they turn to the confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., and Kash Patel. Mike is sticking with his prediction that every Trump nominee coming before the Senate will be confirmed, but he’s at least somewhat optimistic that at least four GOP Senators will reject the nominations of Gabbard and RFK Jr. Justin points out that RFK Jr. is a walking red flag, with issues involving his judgment, competence, experience, and personal life.

Next they discuss the short-lived (for now) federal funding freeze, considering its legality as well as whether the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which would seem to disallow the freeze, is itself unconstitutional.

They close with a listener question concerning racism, fascism, and the Republican Party.

Mike’s New (free) Substack: What Fresh Hell is This?

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