Mike & Trey kick off the show by talking about a big opioid verdict against Johnson & Johnson in Oklahoma as well as a pending mega-settlement between Purdue Pharma and nearly 2,000 litigants. They agree that opioid abuse has had disastrous and tragic consequences, but neither Mike nor Trey are convinced that the Johnson & Johnson verdict will hold up on appeal. Purdue Pharma, having already admitted wrongdoing in previous cases (including a settlement with Oklahoma) is altogether different they believe.
Next, they discuss the 2020 presidential race, including a new Republican challenger to Donald Trump (one-term Illinois representative Joe Walsh), the Democrats who made the cut for the next debate, transparency of the Democratic debate rules, and who they see as the most likely - and most dangerous - general election opponent to President Trump.
After that they turn to the resignation of Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson and what it means for 2020. They agree that it’s good news for the Democrats, but Mike thinks the Republicans will still probably hold both seats, especially as Stacey Abrams has said she won’t run (which Mike thinks might have something to do with her hopes of being Joe Biden’s VP pick).
The show ends with a discussion of the border wall - first, allegations that President Trump has promised pardons to those who break the law to get the wall built, followed by President Trump’s keen interest in the aesthetics of the wall. Trey thinks that Trump probably did at least joke about pardons, and that it was either intuitively or strategically a smart move. Mike says that the focus on building a big, intimidating wall is largely empty symbolism, and characteristic of Donald Trump.
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Trump’s Taxes & The IRS, 2023 Predictions, GOP Lies, Enlarging the House
Speaker McCarthy, Roberts’ Report, Biden’s Judges
Judge Pierre Bergeron on State Courts, Criminal Sentencing, and Trial by Jury
Santos’ Lies, 1/6 Report, Trump’s Taxes, FY23 Budget, Zelensky, Immigration
Budget Deal, TikTok Bans, SBF / FTX and Campaign Finance
Griner, Sinema, GA Senate, Trump Legal Woes, DNC Primary Changes
Trump Special Master, Rail Strike, Student Loan Forgiveness, Sedition Convictions
Garland’s Special Counsel, Trump Tax Returns, MBS Immunity, Pot Legislation
Trump Special Counsel, Midterms & 2024, Same Sex Marriage, Biden & Xi
Midterms: Results, Reactions, Consequences, Ballot Issues
Pelosi Attack, Affirmative Action, Trump’s Taxes, Twitter, Midterms
Robb Willer and Jan Voelkel on Strengthening American Democratic Attitudes
Fetterman & Oz, Midterms & Polling, Republicans & Ukraine
Truss Resignation, Russian and Iran, Senate Debates, Midterm Predictions, Lindsey Graham, Loan Forgiveness
1/6 Committee, Trump Documents, Danchenko & Durham
Nuclear Armageddon, China Chip Ban, Pot Pardons, Trump Search, Judicial Corruption
Nord Stream Sabotage, Russian Annexation, Special Master Overruled, McConnell, Old Joe
Trump’s Legal Troubles, Putin’s Nuclear Threat
Special Master, Inflation, Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Graham’s Abortion Ban
Bill Kuhn on the GOP as a Threat to Democracy
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