Blurred Political Lines

For only the second time in the history of the United States, there has been an assassination attempt against a Supreme Court justice. On June 8th 2022, a man was arrested near the house of Justice Brett Kavanaugh with plans to assassinate him following the leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In this episode, we discuss the political discourse and events that led up to this assassination plot.

As the country descended into Civil War in 1861, Abraham Lincoln feared that more slave states would secede from the union prompting him to take some extraordinary measures. Join our hosts in this episode as we discuss Abraham Lincoln and some of the authoritarian actions he took during the Civil War.

A leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will allegedly overturn Roe v. Wade. But what are the legal implications of that and how will it impact abortion across the country? Our hosts react to the leaked opinion and we also give our takes on the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard literal shit show of a trial.

As the opioid epidemic continues to a major public health crisis, how can we help to reduce the harms of opioid addiction? And what policies can help in our fight against this epidemic? Join Paul and Dr. Plum in this episode as we continue our discussion on the opioid epidemic and harm reduction strategies. Plus our hosts react to the news that Elon Musk is purchasing Twitter to defend free speech online.

The 1860 election was the most divisive election in our country’s history and led directly to the Civil War. Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln was so unpopular in the south that he didn’t even make it onto the ballot in 11 states for the 1860 election. And after his election victory, 7 states seceded from the United Stares before he was even inaugurated. Join us in this episode as we take a look back at the 1860 election and discuss efforts to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. We also discuss the Florida Parental Rights in Education Bill and the manipulative labeling by the mainstream media as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Since 1999, more than 1,000,000 people have died from overdose deaths and per year the number of deaths has continued rise, with over 100,000 deaths between April 2020-2021. These deaths have been driven by the prescription opioid epidemic and in more recent years increasing heroin and fentanyl overdoses. But how did we get here? Join us in this episode as we discuss the origins of the opioid epidemic with Dr. Plum.

In November of 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych chose not to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union setting off a revolution that was the catalyst for the current Russia and Ukraine conflict in 2022. In this episode, we take a deeper look at the Maidan Revolution of 2014 in Ukraine.

After months of buildup and weeks of warnings from leaders around the world, Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 as part of a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” Ukraine. It looked grim for Ukraine as Russia began their assault but they are putting up resistance and the world has responded with sanctions against Russia. But why is Russia invading Ukraine and how did we get here? Join us in this episode as we break down the history of the Russia and Ukraine conflict and discuss our reactions to the conflict.

In a deadlocked Senate in 1819, tensions rose as Missouri attempted to join the United States as a slave state. Calls for disunion and threats of a civil war grew while many feared adding Missouri would give slave states a congressional majority. Forty years before the American Civil War started, the Missouri Compromise helped to keep the United States together but also set us on the path to Civil War. In this episode, we take a look back on the issues surrounding adding states prior to the Civil War including the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, and Dred Scott v. Sanford 1857. And of course we discuss the recent Joe Rogan controversy and the attempt to remove his podcast from Spotify.

At the start of 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic is still surging in the United States with averages for daily cases around 800,000 and daily deaths more than 1,800. With record cases at more than 1.4 million in a single day last week, is this the final surge of COVID-19? Join our hosts in this episode as we discuss the Omicron surge and the shifting of standards and narratives for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join us in this episode as we take a look back at 2021 with this compilation of soundbites that highlights the people, events, and stories from this past year - from Trumps second impeachment to the Afghanistan withdrawal and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

As 2021 comes to an end, the United States continues to average 120,000 COVID-19 cases per day and deaths have exceeded that of 2020 with no end to the pandemic in sight. Join our hosts along with Dr. Plum as we discuss updates on the pandemic, the Omicron variant, boosters and vaccine mandates in another episode in our COVID-19 series.

Last week, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty for every charge against Kyle Rittenhouse for shootings that occurred during the 2020 Kenosha, Wisconsin riots. In this episode, we discuss the facts from the case and how this 17 year old, who was accused of being a white supremacist and domestic terrorist by the media and even President Joe Biden, was found not guilty.

With the passage of HR 51 in the House of Representatives in April 2021, there have been renewed calls to make Washington DC the 51st state of the United States. But why is DC not already a state? Is passing legislation in Congress enough to change DC into a state? And should our nations capital really be a state? Join Paul and Kevin in this versus episode as we discuss the history of Washington DC and whether it should become a state or remain the nations capital.

The Supreme Court has had nine justices since 1869 but the Biden administration has set up a commission to study changes to the court including packing the court with additional justices. In this episode, we discuss the findings from that commission, Justice Ginsberg’s thoughts on national anthem protestors, and the life and legacy of Justice Clarence Thomas after 30 years on the court.

Cancel culture continues into 2021 with the most recent target being Dave Chappelle for his Netflix special “The Closer”. But he’s not alone, Joe Rogan and Jon Gruden have also had recent controversies that have made them targets. Join Paul and Weston in this bonus episode as we discuss the controversies surrounding these most recent targets of cancel culture.

Bob Woodward’s new book claims General Mark Milley told Chinese officials he would notify them in case of an attack by the Trump administration and that he attempted to limit President Trump’s military strike capabilities during his final days in office. Was General Milley a patriot acting for the good of the country? Or were these treasonous acts against the commander in chief? Join us as we catch up on vaccine mandates, Afghanistan and the new revelations about General Mark Milley.

One of the most contentious issues in our country has once again come to the forefront of the political conversation as Texas and Mississippi pass legislation to reduce the timeframe of allowable abortions. But does this go against the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade? Are stricter timeframes infringing on the rights of women? And when is a fetus truly living? We look to answer all this and more as Paul and Joe discuss their differing viewpoints in what has been heralded as the most civil conversation about abortion of all time. They also give their thoughts on the recent U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan as the 20th anniversary of the war approaches this week.

In 2020 as COVID-19 cases surged to 75,000 cases in the summer, President Donald Trump was accused of a failed federal response to COVID-19. Now in August of 2021, with President Joe Biden in the White House, cases have reached 178,000 cases and local governments and business are mandating vaccinations and vaccine passports. But will forcing people to get the vaccine help us escape the Delta variant? Who are the people who haven’t gotten vaccinated? And how do vaccination rates in the U.S compare to other countries? On the one year anniversary of the beginning of our Podcast, our hosts cover an update on COVID-19 with Dr. Plum.

President Biden has referred to January 6th as the “worst attack on democracy since the civil war”. But was it even the worst incident at the Capitol? With the hearings for the January 6th House select committee beginning this past week, our hosts take a look back at the history of violence at the Capitol including protests, shootings, bombings and the gathering of an army of WW1 veterans.

Rudy Giuliani’s career has taken him from America’s mayor and front running presidential candidate to having his law license suspended, being under federal investigation and holding a press conference at a landscaping companies parking lot. But is this really the end for a man once described as a “Honey Badger”? In this episode, our hosts are joined by Joe, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, to discuss Rudy Giuliani, the recent Trump Organization indictments and the true founding of America in 1692.

What will America look like in 2055? Well we now have confirmation from a live transmission from Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry in the future that democracy in America may end. How? The Republicans of course. By only allowing a few weeks of early voting, weekend voting and absentee ballots, the foundations of our country will slowly unravel. Join our hosts in this episode as we react to this troubling news.

How could anyone support President Trump? Last year we watched as he gassed peaceful protestors, lied about a COVID-19 vaccine, pushed misinformation about the origins of COVID-19, and did nothing when Russia put bounties on US soldiers. But was any of that true? In this bonus episode we highlight the difference between 2020 conspiracy theories and the truth, and it’s turns out it really is only about six months. We look back at some of the misinformation pushed by the mainstream media during the 2020 presidential election to discredit former President Donald Trump.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been at the center of the COVID-19 debate since early in 2020. A recent release of Dr. Fauci’s emails from early on in the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked new debate and criticism about what he knew and when. Our hosts and Dr. Plum discuss Dr. Fauci, updates on COVID-19 origins, and the controversy surrounding the NIH funding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Donald Trump has claimed that the 2020 election was the most corrupt election in the history of our country and Democrats have accused him of spreading “The Big Lie” about election fraud. But does unrestricted access to voting really lead to “fraud”? Are states justified in changing their voter laws? And are election integrity laws actually just Jim Crow 2.0? We discuss all this and more as Kevin joins Paul for another versus episode on voter access and election laws.

With 38% of the United States now vaccinated, the CDC has updated their guidelines to allow those who are fully vaccinated to finally be free from masks. But what changed and why did they suddenly update their recommendations? Join us in this mini-episode with Dr. Plum as we talk about the new guidelines, the evidence and how you can become a millionaire in Ohio if you’re vaccinated.

John Schnatter sold his Camero back in 1983 to get the money he needed to help start his own pizza company, which went on to become a nationwide and multi-billion dollar company known as Papa John’s. But in 2018, following a statement he made during an internal company call, all of that was in jeopardy. But was it a setup? On this episode, our hosts discuss the events that led to the cancelling of Papa John Schnatter. Also hear updates about the Chauvin jury members and the stats about the news coverage from President Joe Biden’s first 100 days. The article in this episode is ‘Papa John Was Railroaded’ By Dan McLaughlin

After being told for months that five people died from a deadly rampage at the US Capitol building, we finally now know the truth - that the only person actually killed by violence that day was an unarmed women. But why were we misled by the media and politicians for months? In this mini episode, we put together a compilation of the lies surrounding the death of Capitol Police Officer Brain Sicknick that were pushed for months to depict the Capitol riot on January 6th, 2021 as a deadly rampage.

Almost a year after the death of George Floyd, the trial of former police officer Derick Chauvin finally comes to an end with the jury finding him guilty on all charges. But questions remain about outside pressure on the jury by members of congress, President Joe Biden, and protestors. Can there be a fair trial under the threat of violence? Will the conviction be overturned on appeal? Find out more as Weston provides a legal analysis of the charges and we discuss the trial, the verdict and what comes next. Also, our hosts react to the newly released facts about the Capitol riot that completely contradict the narrative that has been pushed by the mainstream media and Democrats for months.

On March 30th, 1981, an assassin tried to kill President Ronald Reagan two months into his presidency. On the 40th anniversary, we take a deep dive into the shooting, the events that led up to it and how actress Jodi Foster inspired it all. This is sure to be one of the wildest stories you’ve heard on this podcast.

William Henry Harrison died within a month of being inaugurated as president and for the past 180 years he has held the record for the shortest presidency. But who was this forgotten president and did he really die because of his inauguration speech in the rain? Join our hosts in this episode as we discuss William Henry Harrison, the top five shortest presidencies, and our predictions for Joe Biden.

Former President Donald Trump is being tried in the Senate for a fresh round of impeachment articles as Democrats look to stop him from running again in 2024. But can a former president be impeached? Why was there no investigation into the January riot before the trial? And why are some of the facts used in the impeachment article turning out to not be true? Join our hosts along with Joe, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, as we discuss the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump and the future of the Republican Party.

It’s clear the media has been incredibly biased against former President Trump over the past year, but how does that compare to their coverage during the first 100 days of his presidency? And is that different than how the media has treated other former presidents during their first 100 days? We discuss an article that takes an objective look at the media coverage of past presidents from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump and discuss the initial coverage of Joe Biden’s presidency. Also just like the media, we tackle the hard hitting issues like what everyone’s favorite ice cream flavor is. The article referenced in this episode is: “News Coverage of Donald Trump’s First 100 Days” by Thomas E. Patterson

As Big Tech hides behind the protection of section 230 to suppress dissenting opinions, block news stories and censor the sitting president of the United States, more and more people are wondering if the internet should be an extension of protected free speech. In this “versus” episode, Paul is joined by Kevin, a lawyer from California, as they debate the censorship of President Donald Trump, Section 230 and Big Tech.

On January 6th, 2021 protestors gathered in Washington D.C. and a riot broke out at the US Capitol Building as congress debated certifying the 2020 election results. And just like that everyone has flipped sides as Democrats are concerned about violent protests and Republicans assault police officers. But why weren’t the police better prepared? And why are the number of deaths being inflated? In this episode our hosts discuss their reactions to the riot as we begin what is certain to be a crazy new year. Welcome to 2021.

Join us as we take a look back at one of the worst years in recent memory with this compilation of soundbites that tells the story of this dreadful year and the stories we discussed on our podcast. From a worldwide pandemic to widespread violence across the United States and a divisive presidential election, we’re glad this year is finally coming to an end. Good riddance 2020 and Happy New year everyone!

It’s been confirmed, “Big tech” and the mainstream media successfully lied about and blocked the Hunter Biden story before the election. Our hosts discuss the new revelations and look back at an election year where the losing party pushed conspiracy theories, members of congress tried to prevent the certification of the presidential election results, and the FBI tried to sabotage the incoming administration. No, it’s not 2020, it’s 2016.

Earlier this year, the President was criticized repeatedly for saying that there would be a COVID-19 vaccine before the end of 2020. The media cited experts repeatedly saying it would take at least 18 months despite progress being made. But eight months later, it looks like Operation Warp Speed has been a success and the first vaccines may soon be approved in the United States. But is it soon enough as cases begin to spike? Dr. Plum is back as we discuss Operation Warp Speed and talk about how the pandemic will come to an end.

States have repeatedly cracked down on religious institutions and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic despite courts continuing to rule against these lockdowns. How have these months long lockdowns affected religious practice? In this episode, our hosts are joined by Austin, a college student from Indiana, who also hosts the podcast ‘Seriously Political’. We talk about the contested 2020 presidential election results, Christianity in politics and discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have impacted his Religious practice.

Is the 2020 election really over if race comes down to just a few electors? How did Hillary Clinton lose electors during the 2016 electoral college? With a close election possible, we take a look at the electoral college which could play a bigger role in deciding the outcome of this year’s presidential election.

It’s election night in 2020 and the media are predicting Al Gore will be the next president of the United States, but overnight that changes to an election that is “too close to call” and what ensues is a long six week battle over election results in the state of Florida that includes riots, hanging chads and the Supreme Court. We take a look back at the 2000 election and discuss how we may see something similar in 2020. Also we find out about Weston’s days as a bounty hunter in south Florida.

Its been a very divisive election year and despite our hosts differing views, they are both supporting the re-election of President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence. Join our hosts in this episode as they take a deeper dive into their perspectives on the 2020 election and discuss their thoughts on the Democratic parties four “crises”.

The “Cancel culture” mob and the mainstream media continue to try to destroy companies and individuals lives. There is no better example than their selective editing of the video of Nicholas Sandman, the MAGA hat kid, a teenager who was wrongfully targeted by the mob a few years ago with death threats against his school and himself. In part two our our discussion with Kevin, a lawyer and comedian from California, we discuss Cancel Culture and what its like for him being a comedian in this age of hypersensitivity.

It’s clear now that large groups shouldn’t gather during the COVID-19 pandemic, unless of course you’re protesting, rioting or sieging a federal courthouse. But what happens when other groups try to hold peaceful protests? Join our hosts along with Kevin, a lawyer and stand up comedian from California, as we talk about peaceful protests in 2020 and underground comedy clubs during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in the first part of a two part series.

Weeks before the 2020 presidential election, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has passed away. The vacancy left on the Supreme Court is already raising tensions as Republicans look to fill her seat and Democrats threaten to pack the Supreme Court. We take a look back at some of the history of the Supreme Court, discuss the upcoming battle of the vacancy and how all of this could affect the 2020 presidential election.

If Bob Woodward’s “revelations” about the Coronavirus pandemic were so crucial, why did he wait six months to mention them? Is it true that President Donald Trump intentionally misled the American people? Join our hosts along with Dr. Plum as we discuss our thoughts on the information coming out from Bob Woodward’s newest book about Donald Trump, Rage.

How does our response to the COVID-19 pandemic compare to previous pandemics? And what was the political climate like during those previous pandemics in the United States? Join our hosts as we look back from a historical perspective on pandemics including yellow fever, the Spanish flu, and the Swine Flu. Also find out why you never want to be in a duel against the Clinton’s.

Articles:
From Hamilton to Trump: The Dueling Nature of Pandemic Politics;
Then and Now: What Woodrow Wilson’s 1918 Pandemic Failure Can Teach Us Today

A lot has been said about policing in 2020, but what is it like from the perspective of Police officers? We continue our discussion with former Chief of Police, Chris, as we tackle implicit bias, police training and expert witness celebrities like LeBron James pushing police misinformation.

With so many people calling to “Defund the police” and violence spreading across the United States in 2020, we take a deeper dive into the issue of Police funding with former Chief of Police, Chris, from Pennsylvania. We also debunk the inflated police budget figures that have been spreading on social media throughout 2020.