Ep097 - Why I Fear Charlie Kirk's Assassination Won't Be The End of US Political Violence

Ep099 - Trump goes after James Comey and Drug Smugglers

Last week's indictment of James Comey for might be the most egregious use of law fare we've seen...so far. Say what you will about democrats' law fare against Trump, but at least the people at the top pretended to not be blatantly prosecuting their political opponents. But Trump is just out here posting on social media demanding his attorney general go after his enemies, mentioning Comey by name. Similarly, he's unilaterally declaring Venezuelan drug smugglers "enemy combatants" and using the military to blow up their (alleged) boats in the ocean. Should we reconsider the power we've given one person at the top of the executive branch? Is it appropriate for a president to name people he wants the DOJ to prosecute? Should presidents be able to use the military to strike anyone they deem a threat of any kind? Obviously, I think we should. NOTES: * The Truth About Amelia Earhart - The Atlantic [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/amelia-earhart-truth-conspiracy/684430/] * Trump Notifies Congress That the U.S. Is at War with Drug Cartels - Andy McCarthy, National Review [https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/trump-notifies-congress-that-the-u-s-is-at-war-with-drug-cartels/] * Trump's New York fraud ruling sets precedent that lying about square footage is wrong? [https://youtu.be/h8Rq5CJBWnk?si=pERfxe5fDQQnjDRV] * What's Wrong with the Jim Comey Prosecution? - Dan McLaughlin, National Review [https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/whats-wrong-with-the-jim-comey-prosecution/]

Ep098 - Catching Charlie Kirk's Assassin: The Aftermath

Ep097 - Why I Fear Charlie Kirk's Assassination Won't Be The End of US Political Violence

A 31 year old husband and father was murdered because of his political beliefs. While we don't know who shot Charlie Kirk and ended his life yesterday, we do know that in the US, political violence has been accelerating at an alarming rate. There have been assassination attempts or attacks on Nancy Pelosi and her husband, the Republican Congressional baseball team, Governor Josh Shapiro and his family, Minnesota state lawmakers, Gabby Gifford, Donald Trump (twice), Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the United Health Care CEO, Congress on January 6th...and more I'm probably forgetting because of the unfortunate length of the list. Will any of us stop to reconsider the way we talk about our political rivals? Or will we continue to cheer on this kind of violence - as long as it's against 'the other side'?

Ep095 - Trump Pretends to Fight Crime in DC - Democrats Pretend There IS No Crime in DC.

Trump is using emergency powers to send the National Guard into DC to try and solve the crime problems, while Democrats are claiming there IS no crime problem. You won't be surprised to learn both are wrong and not serious about solving anything. Chapters: 00:00 Trump's Takeover of D.C. and Crime Control 10:59 The Complexity of Crime Statistics 19:57 The Role of Prosecution in D.C. 25:49 Addressing Gun Violence and Straw Purchases 27:54 The Homelessness Dilemma in Major Cities 30:19 Trump's Approach to Crime and Authoritarianism 33:32 The Plea Deal Problem in Criminal Justice 37:02 Distracting from Economic Issues 39:54 Government Control in Private Industry 47:09 The Dangers of Expanding Executive Power Notes: * Assessing DC's Violent Crime Trends [https://jasher.substack.com/p/assessing-dcs-violent-crime-trends] - Jeff-alytics substack * Crime Scene [https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/democrats-dc-crime-dilemma-trump/] - Nick Catoggio: The Dispatch * Dems About To Lose Again On The Issue [https://secupp.substack.com/p/dems-about-to-lose-again-on-this] - Pitches and Snitches substack

Ep094 - Gerrymandering Is Bad...Unless Democrats Do It

Everyone is shocked - SHOCKED - that the Texas GOP is trying to gerrymander congressional maps to advantage Republicans. As if Democrats hadn't already done their own gerrymandering in their states. Blake gets into the historical context of gerrymandering, the partisan nature of redistricting, and the challenges of achieving fair representation. The conversation then shifts to Trump's controversial firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, exploring the significance of economic data and the political ramifications of manipulating such information. Yeah, these are boring things to talk about - but they're important! Promise. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Gerrymandering and Political Landscape 02:44 Texas Redistricting: A Power Grab? 05:56 The Impact of Gerrymandering on Representation 08:38 Democratic Responses and the Role of Independent Commissions 11:44 Proposed Solutions to Gerrymandering 17:19 The Case for Increasing House Representation 24:54 The Challenges of Governance in a Slim Majority 26:49 Gerrymandering and Its Implications 27:15 The Importance of Economic Data 28:09 Trump's Controversial Decisions on Labor Statistics 30:45 Understanding Job Reports and Revisions 34:24 The Impact of Tariffs on the Economy 37:31 Presidential Power and Economic Control 42:07 Economic Uncertainty and Its Effects 47:11 Trust in Economic Data and Its Consequences