On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance. Trump's order continues an effort begun by former President Joe Biden to change how the federal government views marijuana. Previously, under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, marijuana had the same classification as LSD and peyote – drugs that the federal government argues have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. And because of its classification, scientists who wanted to investigate medical uses for marijuana had to jump through significant hoops – and couldn’t get federal research dollars. Once marijuana is reclassified, that will change. However, if you’re a recreational marijuana user, Trump did not, in fact, just legalize weed. So to learn more about what the executive order means, we spoke with Jeremy Berke, editor-in-chief of Cultivated Media, an outlet covering the business, policy, and culture of cannabis.

And in headlines, the Labor Department releases inflation numbers likely skewed by the government shutdown, the deadline to release the Epstein files is here, and House Speaker Mike Johnson sends representatives home for the holidays, failing to address the upcoming expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

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President Trump has made multiple xenophobic comments about Somali immigrants over the past few weeks, following the findings of an investigation into social services fraud in Minnesota. Many of those arrested were of Somali origin or background — but since the President just pardoned a CEO convicted for fraud, it’s hard to believe he’s really concerned about the, you know, fraud. His remarks really indicate he’s much more interested in being racist – especially towards Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has come up repeatedly in the President’s rants. We spoke to Representative Omar about the President’s attacks against her and the Somali American community, her work in Congress, and whether healthcare really can be saved before the new year.

And in headlines, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fails at basic communication during a Senate oversight meeting, the Senate passes a ginormous $901 billion defense bill, and one of the two right-wing podcasters running the FBI is leaving the job in January.

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Unemployment is up. Two-thirds of Americans have recently struggled with the rising cost of groceries. And the President of the United States has occupied his time attempting to start a land war in Venezuela, posting on the internet, and blowing up the East Wing of the White House. Times are… tough. So what can we do, as individuals and as a society, to be happier? To find out, we spoke to Michael Plant. He’s the founder and director of the Happier Lives Institute, a nonprofit that researches the most cost-effective ways to improve wellbeing around the world.

And in headlines, unemployment surges to its highest rate in four years, the deadline to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies draws dangerously near, and Vice President J.D. Vance asks Americans for patience during a speech in Pennsylvania.

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Trump has been president for 11 months, and during that time, former President Joe Biden has basically left the public eye. Yet as Trump's own presidency has deflated like an old soufflé, he's gotten very focused on making sure we all know that Biden is still the problem. For more on Trump's increasing fixation on Joe Biden, as well as his horrifying comments on the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, we spoke to Shawn McCreesh. Shawn is the White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering the Trump administration.

And in headlines, President Trump declares fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, the House Oversight Committee alleges Washington, D.C.'s police chief pressured subordinates to manipulate crime data, and from the people who said "what if the military, but… space?" comes the sequel no one asked for: The U.S. Tech Force.

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President Donald Trump loves tariffs. But according to a new analysis from Politico, more than half of US imports right now are not subjected to them. To find out why, we spoke to Paroma Soni. She's a data and graphics reporter at Politico, where she covers trade, immigration, agriculture and politics.And later in the show, two mass shootings occurred over the weekend — one in Sydney, Australia and another at Brown University in Rhode Island. We talk to Talib Reddick, president of Brown University's Undergraduate Council of Students.

In headlines, peace discussions continue on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine, Republicans scramble to pass healthcare legislation before the end of the year, and some GOP members want to introduce new affordability legislation to save their seats in the midterms.

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The Trump Administration has put billions of dollars into building an immigration superstructure meant to punish those who have done nothing wrong and intimidate everyone else – including legal immigrants and US citizens. Weirdly enough, that’s proving not to be very popular. According to new polling from the Associated Press, Trump is now deeply underwater on the subject of immigration – with 60 percent of respondents opposing his handling of the issue. So to talk more about what’s happening with immigration, from the Administration’s plans for 2026 to its many horrifying offenses, we spoke to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. He’s a Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council.

And in headlines, dueling healthcare bills fail in the Senate, nature-lovers push back on plans to make President Trump the face of their National Park adventures, and Disney becomes the first major studio to license its characters to OpenAI’s video generator.This holiday season, gift someone a Friends of the Pod subscription or treat yourself. Learn more at crooked.com/friends. Subscribing is the best way to support independent progressive media.

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Monday is your deadline to pick an insurance plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace – and there is still zero plan to ensure that the enhanced subsidies that make those premiums affordable – or, more affordable – will stay in place. But that won’t stop Congress from trying! The Senate is expected to vote today on two healthcare plans — one from Republicans, and one from Democrats. For details on what’s in those proposals, some of the plans formulating in the House, and whether any of them stand a chance of passing, we spoke with Julie Rovner. She’s the chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of KFF Health News' "What the Health?" podcast.

And in headlines, the Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate for the third time in a row, President Trump uses the U.S. military to seize an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and a new proposal could require travelers from all over the world to hand over their social media for vetting before entering the U.S.A.

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We’ve been talking about the Paramount Skydance/Warner Brothers Discovery/Netflix Billionaire Boys Club Spectacular for a few days now. But it’s really worth digging into the details to understand how all of this could reshape our media diets – and our politics. If Netflix buys Warner Bros. Discovery, that could be very bad news for Hollywood. But if Paramount buys Warner Bros. Discovery, the Trump-supporting Ellisons would own: CBS, CNN, HBO, Paramount, DC Studios, TNT Sports, Warner Bros., Oracle and a whole bunch more. It’s basically a big, complicated mess — so to unpack what it means for consumers and why on earth President Trump is involved, we spoke to Ben Smith. He’s co-founder and editor-in-chief of Semafor, and host of the Mixed Signals podcast.

And in headlines, Trump brings his economic message to the American people on the first stop of his affordability tour, the Supreme Court hears arguments over campaign finance limits, and will Americans follow Australia’s footsteps and ban social media for children?

Show Notes:
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is likely to reverse its long-standing recommendation that all newborns be immunized against Hepatitis B. We spoke with Demetre Daskalakis, the former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, about the long-term impact of the proposed changes, how parents should respond, and whether we should all worry about vaccine recommendations coming from this administration.

And in headlines, the Supreme Court could greatly expand the presidential power over independent federal agencies, Paramount launches a hostile takeover bid to pry Warner Bros. Discovery from Netflix, and President Donald Trump saves American farmers from tariffs by using… tariffs?

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The Trump Administration has gone all in on artificial intelligence. It doesn’t hurt that AI’s biggest backers also happen to run the biggest companies on earth. Oh, and they also happen to have donated millions of dollars to Trump’s presidential campaign, inaugural committee, and even his fancy new ballroom. But it turns out that while Trump and his billionaire friends love AI, a lot of Republicans don’t — a fact that’s preventing him from getting rid of what little AI regulation exists. To talk more about Trump, AI, and why Republicans aren’t yet sold on the wonders of chatbots, we spoke to Gerrit De Vynck, a tech reporter for the Washington Post.

And in headlines, lawmakers share what they saw in a video of the infamous “second strike” on an alleged drug trafficking boat, a longstanding newborn vaccine recommendation is in jeopardy, and the Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments for ending birthright citizenship.

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