Power and Flour Podcast

Episode 2-18: Redistricting Everywhere All At Once, with Eric McGhee

Texas kicked it all off, but now lots of states are considering a mid-decade redistricting, potentially leading to a war of all against all for partisan advantage. Is this stuff legal? Constitutional? What could each side realistically hope to achieve? What does this looks like when the dust settles? To help explain this, Seth and John invited Eric McGhee [https://www.ppic.org/person/eric-mcghee/] of the Public Policy Institute of California to join the show. Eric is one of the nation’s experts on redistricting, and his formulation of the “efficiency gap” to measure gerrymandering has been used in Supreme Court cases. Links: * Lee Drutman, “What the Apportionment Act of 1842 tells us about today’s gerrymandering wars [https://leedrutman.substack.com/p/what-the-apportionment-act-of-1842]” * Seth Masket, “The Texas redistricting. No, the other one. [https://smotus.substack.com/p/the-texas-redistricting-no-the-other]” * Rucho v. Common Cause [https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/18-422_9ol1.pdf] (2018) * Kyle Kondik, “How the Redistricting Fight Could Change the Bias in the House [https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/how-the-redistricting-fight-could-change-the-bias-in-the-house-and-other-notes-on-the-state-of-politics/]” Get full access to Power and Flour Podcast at powerflour.substack.com/subscribe [https://powerflour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 2-17: The consequences of an Epstein rift

John and Seth join the rest of the world in discussing the Epstein/Trump controversy and the extent to which it’s creating a real split between Trump and the MAGA base that cares so deeply about blowing the lid on this story. They talk about the evidence that actually exists to identify a rift or the rift’s closure, the political consequences of an angry and rootless base, the influence of the media in all this, and some actual evidence of savvy congressional Democrats. Plus, Bastille Day pastries and kolaches from Norm’s Coffee Bar [https://www.soshinefoundation.com/norms-coffee-bar] in Newton, Kansas. Get full access to Power and Flour Podcast at powerflour.substack.com/subscribe [https://powerflour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 2-16: The Great Zohran Freak-Out

John and Seth dig into the Democratic nomination of Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, examining how he put together a winning coalition, and speculating why so many establishment Democrats (more in the city than outside it) have been fearful about his successes there. They also discuss what kind of effects this race could have on 2026’s primaries, and also why leading political figures from New York tend to be uninspiring or corrupt. They also discuss Czech kolaches, as well as a Minnesota restaurant that cooks only with pre-Columbian indigenous ingredients. Links: * Seth’s Tusk piece [https://smotus.substack.com/p/mamdanis-threat-to-the-democratic] on Mamdani * Article on the kolache diaspora [https://edibleaustin.com/food/melting-pot/a-trip-through-kolache-history/#:~:text=These%20tasty%20morsels%20arrived%20in%20Texas%20along,in%20the%201850s%20through%20the%20early%201900s.&text=Not%20surprisingly%2C%20Honey's%20traditional%20kolaches%2C%20filled%20with,seed%2C%20peach%20and%20cherry%20fillings%2C%20remain%20popular.] * Owamni restaurant [https://owamni.com] in Minneapolis Get full access to Power and Flour Podcast at powerflour.substack.com/subscribe [https://powerflour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 2-15: War, what is/was/will it be good for?

There’s some ongoing confusion over whether the U.S. is actually at war with Iran, whether Iran is at war with Israel, whether Israel and/or Iran are violating a ceasefire they may or may not have agreed to, whether the airstrikes succeeded or failed, and more. John and Seth stick with the part of it they know something about: How the American public thinks about war. This episode gets into shifting public opinion, the role that partisanship plays in forming opinions about the war, the public’s longstanding anti-interventionist beliefs, why Trump might be pursuing these options, and more. Plus: Seth bakes a rosemary bread in real time, and John provides a pastry update from his wedding. Links: * Economist/YouGov poll [https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/52380-donald-trump-approval-israel-iran-ice-immigration-protests-vaccines-robert-f-kennedy-jr-june-13-16-2025-economistyougov-poll] on the Iran/Israel conflict * Trump tries to oust Republican congressman for calling Iran strike unconstitutional [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-campaign-unleashes-pac-oust-gop-congressman-who-questioned-authority-strike-iran] * Minneapolis pastry chef Diane Moua’s Instagram page [https://www.instagram.com/pastrydiane/?hl=en] * Lékué silicone bread maker [https://www.lekue.com/us/bread-maker-brown/?srsltid=AfmBOoo8ZNvdFB31WAhdhULrdCL24_2lKMBhcWuad8nsFQr9yYSBntJD] Get full access to Power and Flour Podcast at powerflour.substack.com/subscribe [https://powerflour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 2-14: What Happened in 2024?

John and Seth discuss the new Catalist report on what exactly happened in the 2024 presidential election. They discuss some fascinating trends, including the fact that higher turnout seems to be benefitting Republicans now, that the election was far closer in the battleground states, and that the electorate is getting less polarized by race and more polarized by education. Also on tap: Is pie ever appropriate for a birthday? Links: * Catalist report, “What Happened in 2024 [https://catalist.us/whathappened2024/]” * Bonica et al., “Does Higher Turnout Now Help Republicans [https://data4democracy.substack.com/p/does-higher-turnout-now-help-republicans]?” This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Power and Flour Podcast at powerflour.substack.com/subscribe [https://powerflour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]