All right, let's jump right in.
Sounds good to me.
Today, we're diving deep into electoral vote
from December 18th, 2024.
Oh, yeah.
Lots to unpack there.
Buckle up, everybody, because things
are getting a little interesting, shall we say.
Interesting might be an understatement.
We've got Trump, lawsuits, Christmas trees,
but not the evergreen kind.
Yeah, those political Christmas trees
are always a spectacle.
Fake electors and some interesting economic forecasts,
ready to dive in.
Absolutely.
Let's kick things off with Trump's lawsuit
against Ann Seltzer, the Des Moines
Regisseur, and its parent company, Ginnat.
Oh, yeah, that one's making headlines.
He's suing them over a poll that predicted he'd lose Iowa,
even though he ended up winning by a landslide.
It's classic Trump, isn't it?
Using lawsuits to intimidate critics,
even if he doesn't really expect to win in court.
It's more about silencing opposition
than actually winning a legal battle.
Exactly.
It's a way to control the narrative and discourage anyone
from questioning him.
And it sends a chilling message to journalists and pollsters,
doesn't it?
Absolutely.
Imagine being afraid to report on something negative about Trump
for fear of being sued.
It could have a serious impact on freedom of the press.
It's like a chilling effect on free speech in general.
It really is.
And this isn't even the first time he's
done something like this.
Remember the Bob Woodward lawsuit?
Oh, yeah, he sued Woodward for $49 million
over those released audio tapes.
Exactly.
It's a pattern.
He's always going after the media,
calling them the enemy of the people.
And it seems to work with his base.
It just reinforces their distrust of the media.
It does.
And it also distracts from other issues.
It's like a smokescreen.
It's interesting, though, how different media outlets
have reacted to this.
Some have pushed back hard, while others
seem to be trying to appease him.
Right, like the Wall Street Journal endorsing
Cari Lake, even though she was a pretty controversial figure.
It's like they're trying to avoid legal trouble
by staying on his good side.
It raises some questions about journalistic integrity,
doesn't it?
Definitely food for thought.
But while Trump's busy battling the media,
Congress is trying to wrangle this Christmas tree bill.
Can you break down what that is for those of us
who don't speak fluent political jargon?
Sure.
Think of a Christmas tree loaded down with ornaments.
But instead of sparkly baubles, this tree
is a continuing resolution, or CR,
which is basically how they keep the government funded.
OK, so the ornaments are?
All sorts of unrelated spending projects
tacked on to appease different lawmakers
and avoid a government shutdown.
So it's like a giant legislative grab bag?
Exactly.
This particular CR has everything from disaster relief
to farm credit programs to even money for a bridge rebuilding
project in Baltimore.
Sounds about as organized as my Christmas decorations.
It's all crammed into one massive bill.
And I imagine not everyone's thrilled about it.
You got it.
Speaker Mike Johnson's trying to please
both Democrats and the Freedom Caucus,
that group of hardline conservative Republicans.
And it's proving to be a bit of a challenge.
Especially with folks like Marjorie Taylor-Green and Chip Roy
making their displeasure known.
Oh, yeah, they've been pretty vocal.
So this fight over the CR is more than just a holiday squabble,
isn't it?
It's a symptom of a much larger issue,
the incredibly slim Republican majority in the House.
It's going to be a bumpy ride trying to pass any legislation.
Looks like we're in for a wild ride.
But this next story is even wilder.
13 of the electors who voted for Trump this year
were fake electors back in 2020.
Can you remind us what that means exactly?
Sure.
Essentially, these individuals falsely
claimed to be official electors back in 2020
trying to swing the election results.
And now they're legitimate electors.
That's the crazy part.
Some of them are even facing criminal charges
for their actions in 2020.
Yet here they are, chosen as electors in this election.
It's a little hard to wrap your head around.
It really raises questions about the Republican Party's
commitment to, well, democracy, doesn't it?
Speaking of the Republican Party,
Trump held a rally in New York City recently.
You wouldn't think that would be his strongest base.
Right.
And at a young Republican gala, Stephen Bannon
was talking about Trump running for a third term in 2028.
Is that even constitutionally possible?
Well, Bannon claims there's a loophole in the 22nd Amendment,
but most legal scholars disagree.
It's more about stirring up the base and feeding
into that sense of grievance, I guess.
Exactly.
And it's clearly working.
Trump won 30% of the vote in New York City,
a place that's usually a democratic stronghold.
So even though he lost the popular vote in 2024,
he's still a major force to be reckoned with.
He absolutely is.
And his supporters are as energized as ever.
So as Trump embarks on his second term,
what should we be watching for?
What are his top priorities?
Well, he's made it pretty clear that tax cuts and a crackdown
on immigration are at the top of his list.
The big question is whether he tries
to tackle both in one massive bill
or splits them into two separate ones.
Each approach has its own set of challenges.
One big bill would be a huge target for opposition,
while two separate bills could get bogged down
in negotiations and delays.
And then there's the potential for infighting
within the Republican Party itself.
You've got deficit hawks worried about the national debt,
tax cut enthusiasts who want to slash rates no matter what,
and corporate lobbyists pushing their own agendas.
It's going to be interesting to see how Trump navigates
all of those competing interests.
Plus, there's always the issue of unintended consequences.
He's not exactly known for thinking things through.
That's true.
Remember what happened with the terrorists
on Mexico and Canada?
Gas prices went through the roof,
and rural voters were hit the hardest.
And then there's the whole issue
of deporting undocumented workers
in the meatpacking industry.
That could destabilize the entire industry,
leading to higher meat prices
and potential shortages for everyone.
Not to mention his proposed cuts to Medicaid
and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Those cuts would disproportionately affect
rural communities, which already face
significant health care challenges.
It's almost like he's setting a trap for his own supporters.
And then there's the wild card of China.
If he goes ahead with those tariffs,
we can expect retaliation that will hurt American farmers.
It's a lot to keep track of.
But amidst all of this Trump-related chaos,
there's another story unfolding that we need to discuss.
What's the latest with Biden and his efforts
to protect the Affordable Care Act?
Well, with Republicans seemingly ready to gut the ACA,
Biden's pulling out all the stops
to get as many people enrolled as possible
before he leaves office.
It's like a last-ditch effort to shield the ACA
from a Republican onslaught.
Exactly.
The more people who depend on the ACA,
the harder it will be for Republicans
to justify repealing it.
It's a clever strategy, but is it working?
It can't be easy to get people to focus on health care
with everything else going on.
It's definitely an uphill battle.
The extended sign-up deadline helps.
But getting the message out amidst all the noise
and distractions is a real challenge.
Millions of Americans are depending on the ACA
for their health care.
The stakes are incredibly high.
They are.
And speaking of high stakes,
we need to talk about the poll results
regarding the killing of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson.
You mean that 41% of young adults
who think his murder was justified?
It's a disturbing statistic.
And it speaks volumes about the growing anger
and disillusionment among young people.
They're fed up with a system that seems rigged against them.
It's like they feel that if the system
won't hold the powerful accountable,
then they have to take matters into their own hands.
And that's a dangerous road to go down.
It highlights the challenges in prosecuting the suspect,
Luigi Mangioni.
With so much public sympathy for his actions,
it might be tough to find an impartial jury.
This case is about so much more than just one murder.
It's a reflection of a society grappling
with profound economic anxieties
and a growing generational divide.
You're absolutely right.
It's a wake-up call.
We need to start addressing these issues
before things spiral even further out of control.
So we've got a lot to think about here.
Trump's legal battles, the fight over the CR,
the fake electors, the killing of a CEO,
Biden's attempt to save the ACA, it's a lot to process.
It really is.
And it's just a snapshot of the complex and often chaotic
world we're living in.
But that's why we're here, right?
To try to make sense of it all, to dive deep into these issues
and help our listeners understand the forces that
are shaping their lives.
Exactly.
And we're just getting started.
Yeah, it really does feel like we're at a turning point.
The kings are shifting.
Definitely.
And it's not just in the political realm.
It's a shift in how people view the world and how they view
themselves in the world.
Absolutely.
And speaking of shifting, we can't
forget about Biden's efforts to shore up
the Affordable Care Act.
Right, right.
I mean, Republicans are poised to dismantle it.
So what's his game plan here?
So he's being pretty strategic about it, I think.
He's trying to get as many people as possible signed up
before he leaves office.
Oh, OK.
So that if and when Republicans try to repeal it,
they're going to face a huge backlash.
Like a human shield almost.
Yeah, exactly.
Of beneficiaries who would be directly affected.
But is it enough?
Can you get enough people signed up in time
to make a real difference?
Well, that's the million dollar question, right?
I mean, the extended enrollment deadline
helps cutting through all the noise, all the distractions.
It's tough.
It's got to be hard to get people to focus
on something like health care when there's so much else going
on.
Absolutely.
But the stakes, I mean, that they couldn't be higher.
They're incredibly high.
Millions of people depend on the ACA.
They do.
So as all of this unfolds, what should we,
as people, be paying attention to?
That's a good question.
I think public opinion is a big one.
How are people responding to all these events
that we're talking about?
Are they getting more involved?
Are they demanding change?
What's the temperature out there?
What about the midterms in 2026?
Oh, absolutely.
The midterms are going to be huge.
I mean, that's really when we'll see what direction
the country is headed.
You know, is it more progressive?
Is it more conservative?
And what about the younger generation?
That's the wild card.
I mean, they're facing challenges
that we've never seen before.
Climate change, economic inequality,
this hyperpartisan political system.
Yeah.
And they're not afraid to speak up about it.
Oh, no.
And we saw that with the reaction to the killing
of the United Health Care CEO.
That was a really disturbing event.
But it also revealed just how angry and frustrated
young people are.
I feel like the system is not working for them.
So where do we go from here?
Well, I think the first step is to stay informed.
That's what this deep dive is all about.
We're giving you the information that you need
to understand what's happening in the world.
But it's not enough to just be informed.
We need to engage with these issues.
Absolutely.
We need to be having these difficult conversations.
We need to be challenging our own assumptions and biases.
And most importantly, I think we need
to be finding ways to connect with people who see the world
differently than we do.
Yeah, to find common ground.
Exactly.
Because at the end of the day, we're all in this together.
We might have different perspectives,
but we all want a better future.
Absolutely.
And that's what gives me hope.
Despite all the challenges that we're facing,
I really do believe that we can create a more just,
a more equitable, a more sustainable world.
Yeah, it's not going to be easy.
But it's worth fighting for.
It is.
Yeah, it really makes you think, doesn't it?
Where we're headed.
It does.
We're standing at this fork in the road.
And the path we choose now, well,
it's going to have a ripple effect for generations to come.
Definitely.
So as we wrap up here, what are some key takeaways
for our listeners?
What should they be thinking about?
Well, I think it's crucial to remember
that your actions matter, even if it feels like you're just
one person in this big, messy world.
It's easy to feel powerless.
Like your voice doesn't matter.
Right, but your vote matters.
Your voice matters.
Your choices matter.
I like that, yeah, yeah.
Don't underestimate the power of individual action.
It's empowering.
It is.
So what else?
Stay engaged, please.
Don't tune out the noise.
Stay informed.
Stay curious.
And stay connected to the issues that you care about.
Because if we're not paying attention,
someone else will be making those decisions for us.
Exactly.
And those decisions, they might not
reflect your values, your priorities.
You know, it's easy to get cynical.
Yeah.
Just want to check out.
I know.
It's a lot.
But there's always hope.
Even when things feel dark, there
are people out there working to make things better,
to build a better future.
That's what keeps me going, you know?
The knowledge that there are people out there fighting
the good fight.
You can be one of those people, too.
That's a good note to end on.
It is, isn't it?
So to all our listeners out there,
thanks for joining us for this deep dive into, well, everything.
It's been a wild ride, hasn't it?
From Trump's legal battles and their impact on free speech
to that whole legislative showdown
over the Christmas tree bill.
And don't forget those fake electors.
Oh, right.
Right.
And that shocking reaction to the killing
of a health care CEO.
It really does feel like we're living in unprecedented times.
We've also looked at Biden's strategy
to protect the Affordable Care Act.
And the potential consequences of some of Trump's policies.
Oh, yeah.
And the growing influence of a new generation
that's demanding change.
It's a lot to digest.
It is.
But we hope this deep dive has given you
a better understanding of the forces that
are shaping our world.
You know, keep exploring.
Keep asking questions.
Keep engaging with different perspectives.
The future?
Well, it's in our hands.
It really is.
Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll catch you next time.