President Biden has rescheduled marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III drug, a move that is long overdue but still doesn't go far enough. Schedule I had weed on the same level as heroin, while Schedule III puts it on the same level as codeine. We discuss the ramifications. If you like our brilliant insights, you should OBVIOUSLY subscribe. If you really REALLY like us, you can support the show by becoming a ⁠Patreon⁠ supporter: Patreon. We also post exclusive content there, so check...

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has announced she will be calling for a vote on Speaker Mike Johnson next week. Johnson is already the replacement of the first Speaker of the House ever ousted from his job, Kevin McCarthy. We explain why Johnson's job is actually safe, despite the narrow Republican majority in the House. If you liked this video, follow us here! You can also check us out on YouTube. And if you really like us, you can support the show by becoming a ⁠Patreon⁠...

Protests that started at the University of Columbia in New York City have since spread across the nation. Police have been called in at many campuses. We explain why it's ok to involve the police in some circumstances, the problem with some of the discourse around the protests, and people's inability to be Vulcans. If you liked this video, follow us here! You can also check us out on YouTube. And if you really like us, you can support the show by becoming a Patreon supporter. We also post...

We take a look at the presidential race, including the spending of each campaign and new polls. Specifically, we see the Biden campaign spending a lot more money, Biden catching up to Trump in some polling, and we wonder whether Trump's downfall will be low turnout from his supporters. If you like our content, we offer additional videos, including weekly deep dives, here: Patreon

United Auto Workers won a huge battle to unionize a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee last week. This is a big f*cking deal, as it's the first plant by a foreign company to ever be unionized in the South, and the vote wasn't even close. Republican governors released a statement protesting against unionization of the plants, but it won't stop the UAW from rolling into other southern factories fighting for greater worker power.

Elections are a big deal in India, which is the largest democracy in the world. However, violence threatened polling stations in the state of Manipur over political classifications of groups that would grant different economic advantages. The violence has already killed dozens of people. We dove in to understand the situation.

In this episode, we delve into a podcast discussion centered around the recent FTC ruling by the Biden administration to ban non-compete agreements. Join us as we analyze the implications of this decision and its potential impact on the job market.

Students at Columbia University set up an encampment on one of the campus lawns. They're protesting the university being invested in companies that apparently are complicit with Israel's genocide of Gazans. We think they're being kind of ridiculous.

A $95 billion foreign aid package was passed in the House and Senate then signed by president Biden after stalling for months because of challenges Speaker of the House Mike Johnson faced from his far right flank. In the end, the bill passed the House with majority Democrat support, leaving Johnson on uneasy footing within his own party. We break down the implications of the package for Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as addition of a potential TikTok ban that forces the app to be...

The IRS is reporting smaller tax refunds so far this year, mostly due to more effective tax collection earlier on. While it sucks to not get a refund all at once, it does mean that people were just keeping more of their money throughout the year. But if we don't like not having tax refunds, would it be cool if there was a baked-in government savings mechanism?

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visited China this past weekend, where he advocated for fair treatment of German businesses, assured China's Chairman Xi Jinping of the EU's commitment to open trade, and delicately addresses concerns about Chinese support for Russia's actions in Ukraine. The German-Chinese relationship is one of the most important in the world, as they are two of the five biggest economies.

As the 2024 presidential campaign heats up, Biden and Trump are making their cases for how to run the economy of the richest country in the world for their next term. Their ideas are different, but there are more similarities than you might expect in our current polarized age.

In this week's deep dive, we examined the history of Medicare, from its origins as an idea for state policy in the 1910's all the way up to its current form. We discuss its interaction with private sector insurers in Medicare Part C, and the introduction of prescription drug coverage in Part D. We imagine ways that history could have gone differently to make the legislation closer to, or further from, a universal healthcare plan. Then, we consider how it might be amended today.

For weeks, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has wanted to get a bill on the floor to give aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. However, while Johnson wants the bill, members of his far right flank are against it, and they have the power to vote on a motion to vacate the Speaker whenever they want. Thus, Johnson has to trust the fate of the foreign aid bills, and his job as Speaker, to Democrats in the House.

Iran shot over three hundred missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for its airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria. 99% of the projectiles were shot down before reaching Israel, and no Israelis were killed. However, the magnitude of the attack still escalated the situation, and we now anxiously await what follows. Does Israel want war?

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was expanded to ease financial pressure for families. The legislative action led to a historic drop in child poverty. In this session of Congress, a bipartisan coalition sought to reinstate the expanded credit permanently, as child poverty rose again in 2023 after the credit expired. However, Senate Republicans, led by Mike Crapo of Idaho, killed the bill. We discuss what Republicans would have preferred, and why this didn't work...

One of the long-running themes of Joe Biden's first term has been his crusade against student debt. He started with a plan to cancel either $10,000 or $20,000 of debt for certain students that was shot down by the Supreme Court. Now, he has another plan that is more targeted to certain segments of the population, including those who have high interest payments and the poor. Getting rid of debt for young people sounds great, but it's not that simple.

The Japanese company Nippon Steel made a deal months ago to buy U.S. Steel. Since then, numerous American politicians have come out as being against the deal, including both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. In this episode, we examine the merits of these politicians' critiques, both as pure policy and as political maneuvers.

American markets have been soaring in Q1 of 2024 on the expectation that the Federal Reserve would be cutting interest rates three times this year, freeing up more money to be borrowed and spent in the economy. However, inflation has remained stubbornly elevated above the Fed's desired 2% rate, and the March CPI report failed to encourage observers that inflation is coming down. We dove into the specific prices that are keeping inflation high and what the report means politically and...

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a total abortion ban dating back to 1864, before Arizona was even a state, would be reinstated because of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Now, we approach the 2024 November presidential election with Arizona as a swing state, a ballot referendum on abortion, and Donald Trump being tied directly to the overturn of Roe due to his choice of Supreme Court Justices. Will abortion again sway the election away from Republicans in Arizona? And what about in other...

This week's current events: Reports have come out asserting that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson wants to pass a bill providing aid to Ukraine, but is restricted by his right flank The Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding access to the abortion pill Mifepristone A new Reuters report indicates the December update to U.S. sanctions on Russia have been effective in delaying oil payments A company in Tennessee have found clear evidence of violations of child labor laws The...

This week's current events: A few Republican primaries have further consolidated Donald Trump's hold over the party, with victories by his preferred candidates Discussing the chances the Democrats hold control of the Senate A judge overturned an NLRB decision designed to increase labor standards in large franchises A U.N. climate organization has issued a new "red alert" regarding the state of the planet The EPA has issued new emissions limits to regulate how many new cars put out...

This week's current events: Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary, but what do the exit polls tell us about the coming general election? Once again, the U.S. government is on the verge of a shutdown Sweden is joining NATO after ratification by Hungary's parliament A new report finds the Inflation Reduction Act has succeeded in some aspects but failed in propelling wind power The IRS is clawing back more money from millionaires and billionaires who have evaded taxes Mike...

This week's current events: Alexei Navalny, the leader of the opposition movement to Putin in Russia for the last several decades, has died The U.S. vetoes another U.N. resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza, but submits their own temporary ceasefire resolution New electoral maps were approved in Wisconsin to create near equality in the number of Democrat and Republican districts, after a decade and a half of Republican dominance Democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in the...