Leah Litman, a University of Michigan Law professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, dives into the Supreme Court's recent shifts under conservative influence. She discusses her bestselling book, Lawless, revealing how the Court operates with little ethical guidance, impacting LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedoms. The conversation also touches on Elon Musk's fallout with Trump over a spending bill, the rise of new media figures like Tim Pool, and the chaotic intersection of politics and humor today.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Elon Musk's Firing Anecdote
Elon Musk got upset because he was effectively "fired" from a government advisory role when his White House position was not renewed.
Despite prior favors, he felt "butt hurt" over spending cuts that excluded benefits to his companies.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Read Bills Fully Before Voting
Politicians must read entire bills before voting to avoid unintended consequences.
Ignorance in legislation risks passing harmful provisions that affect millions.
insights INSIGHT
New Media Influencers' Complexity
New media figures like Tim Pool replace legacy press but often promote partisan and conspiratorial content.
Such influencers can be unwittingly manipulated by foreign interests, impacting public discourse.
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In 'Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites,' Ilya Shapiro examines the transformation of higher education and legal education in the United States. He argues that prestigious law schools have been overtaken by radical student movements and biased faculty, leading to a decline in critical thinking, logical argumentation, and respect for opposing views. Shapiro draws from his personal experiences, including a controversial tweet that led to calls for his firing from Georgetown Law, to illustrate the institutional weaknesses and ideological capture of America’s law schools. The book warns that this trend has significant implications for the future of the legal profession, government, and society as a whole.
Michael Kosta dives into the fallout of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill: Elon slamming the “sprawling spending bill" and turning on Trump, Democrats backing Elon’s criticisms, and Marjorie Taylor Greene revealing she never read it in the first place. Plus, the Big Beautiful Bill (Troy Iwata) claps back at all the new haters.
The Trump administration has pushed out legacy media outlets from the White House press room in favor of more conspiratorial right-wing "new media" figures like Tim Pool: a conservative YouTuber and podcaster passionate about stroking Trump's ego and delivering truthful reporting sponsored by Russian interests.
University of Michigan Law professor and “Strict Scrutiny” co-host Leah Litman joins Michael Kosta to discuss her New York Times bestseller, “Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes.” By making the inner workings of SCOTUS more accessible and believing in the power of “talking sh*t,” she explains how the nation’s highest court has been operating under conservative guidance with little code of ethics in rolling back LGBTQ+ and minority discrimination protections and targeting reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition 
