Pantsuit Politics

Before we got started, we thanked everyone for their patience as our feed repopulated. The good news is you can now go all the way back to our premiere episode in the feed! We talked about Ivanka's new role as special assistant to the president. We also discussed the Washington Post's profile of Karen Pence and the controversy over several observations about the Vice President's marriage.    We praised the Senate Intelligence Committee for being the adults in the room. We discussed feedback from Brynn on the need to empathize with everyone. "So I’m finding myself constantly caught in this catch 22 where I want to emphasize with Trump supporters who feel betrayed, while at the same time fighting back the urge to just SCREAM “we told you so!”" Allison wrote in and wondered "if Ryan and the Republicans, instead of trying to appease the non-compromising Freedom Caucus, could try to reach out and work with moderate Democrats to draft and pass the bill?"  Also we shared a NY Times article "A Great New Accidental Renaissance" (link) from Megan and this fantastic quote. "It’s early, but we may be experiencing a great awakening for the humane values that are under siege by a dark-side presidency. People are going inward, to find something bigger than Trump, and outward, to limit the damage he inflicts on the country."    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're talking about the FISA process, Retired General Michael Flynn, and the failure of the American Health Care Act. The PearlsWe comfort ourselves about our miserable election predictions by noting that we predicted that the American Health Care Act would not make it through the House of Representatives. And it didn't. Big winners: the American people for not being subjected to a half-baked, not-really-about-health-care-health-care-bill. Big losers: Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, Republicans generally. Sadly, we have two incidents of violence to acknowledge. A British man, Khalid Masood, rammed his vehicle into a crowd at Westminster Bridge in London after stabbing a police officer. His connections to Saudi Arabia have police still investigating his possible motives. On Sunday morning, a dispute escalated into a shooting in a Cincinnati, Ohio, night club, leaving one person dead and 15 injured. Our prayers are with everyone impacted in London and Cincinnati. For our compliments to the other party, Sarah tipped her hat to the Freedom Caucus for standing their ground in opposition to the AHCA. Beth complimented the Democratic lawmakers behind the Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act (the MAR-A-LAGO Act), which would require the White House to publish its visitor logs and mandate the release of visitor logs when the President conducts business...elsewhere. The SuitWe start with a mini-primer on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA"), which was enacted in 1978 to protect Americans’ privacy in the midst of counter-terrorism efforts. A law enforcement training white paper helped us significantly in understanding key provisions of FISA. FISA was enacted to limit the presidents' power and to create a judicially-manageable standard for issuing warrants in national security investigations. The key provisions of FISA were: Non-criminal electronic surveillance can only occur for the purpose of collecting foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligenceForeign powers and agents of foreign powers could be targeted for electronic surveillance (foreign powers and agents of foreign powers are defined in the statute—explicitly says “non US persons” — US persons are citizens, legal permanent residents, US corporations, unincorporated associates with a substantial number of members who are citizens or lawful permanent residents) The government needs probable cause to conduct surveillance (and set a probable cause standard)Established foreign intelligence surveillance courts (FISC) at the district and appellate... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We began by encouraging everyone to share the #trypod hashtag. The idea is to introduce someone who doesn’t listen to podcasts to the medium. Show them how to do it and obviously subscribe them to Pantsuit Politics!We began by discussing FBI Director James Comey's testimony before Congress confirming that the FBI is investigation whether or not President Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election. We also discussed the AP's revelation that Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign manager, was paid millions by a Putin ally.Karen on Twitter had a great read of the situation: Illegality all around T. He was likely influenced by ppl with specific agendas tailored to appeal to his world view and vanity and so he is influenced. Also think he probably willfully "ignorant" of crimes around him but I bet we will never be able to pin any intentional criminal activity on him.We then shared Beth's interview with Katherine Gypson, reporter for Voice of America, who was in the room for both Comey's testimony and Representative Devin Nunnes's press conference. We discussed Judge Gorsuch's confirmation hearings and growing concerns about his views on torture and statements about women at law firms. We also discussed the Democratic party's plans to filibuster his confirmation. We moved on to talk about two abortion laws that recently passed in Texas and several pieces of feedback we've gotten related to abortion. We talked about the proposed Reins Act and whether or not the Congress really needs approval over so much regulation. We wrapped up with feedback from Shannon on the difference between how we discuss terrorism when the terrorist is white.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Pearls, we discussed President Trump's proposed budget. The big winners under this budget were the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as Veteran's Affairs. The biggest loser was the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as nineteen other agencies that Trump proposed elimination. Beth argued that this budget shows diplomacy is not a priority for President Trump as it also includes cuts to the State Department and reductions in foreign aid. Inexplicably, healthcare companies such as drug makers and device makers will pay more than twice as much in 2018 to have their medical products reviewed for approval by the Food and Drug Administration under the proposed budget. The proposal budgets over $2 billion in fees to be collected from industry, twice as much in 2017. This doesn't seem to fit the increasingly loud narrative of reducing health care costs. We then moved on to compliment the other side. Sarah had big praise two Texas Congressmen who hit the road for a bipartisan road trip. Beth praised Representative Rodney Moore for his eloquent advocacy for charter schools.In the Suit, we discussed the fiery response on social media to Sarah's photo of a local church bulletin board featuring the viral photo of Omran Daqneesh, a 5-year-old Syrian child. The caption seems to imply all the little boy needs is Christianity in his life and this position left many of you angry and seemed to reflect a growing disenchantment with religion itself. We discussed our own frustrations and history with organized religion and what those ideas can (and cannot) mean when it comes to politics. Do Americans suffer from an empathy deficit? What does it mean to be empathetic?Sarah had high praise for Krista Tippet's expanded audio edition of Becoming Wise, which addresses the interplay between spirituality, religion, and politics incredibly well. Beth discussed a wonderful Washington Post article that illustrated the difference in approach between empathy and entitlement in immigrants versus natural-born citizens. She also shared Anne Lamott's recent Facebook reflection.As well as one of her favorite lines from The Invitation by Oriah Mountain dreamer which states simply, "I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it." We ended the show in The Heels by lightening things up a bit with talk of real estate and Designated Survivor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Americans are squarely confronting the rights and responsibilities of our government, our citizens, and our fellow humans. With the travel ban, news from the intelligence community, and the AHCA, we’re asking what we exactly we do and do not owe to someone else’s babies. The Travel BanA federal district judge in Hawaii enjoined enforcement of President Trump's revised executive order on immigration. We recap the decision: The plaintiffs were seeking a nationwide temporary restraining order. They had to establishStanding (similar to state of Washington in 9th Circuit decision + tourism; the Court also held that an individual plaintiff had standing to challenge the order)Strong likelihood of success on the merits of the Establishment Clause claimsThe Court extensively quoted statements from then-candidate Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Stephen Miller regarding the intention of the executive order. "The Government has established a disfavored religion." The Court also found that the executive order does not achieve its stated national security objectives because citizenship, according to the DHS, is an "unlikely indicator" of terrorism threats. Under the Lemon test, the Court held that the government could not show that the order has a primarily secular purpose. The Court also rejected the Government's claim that the executive order does not discriminate against Muslims because it does not apply to all countries with majority-Muslim populations, saying, “The notion that one can demonstrate animus toward any group of people only by targeting all of them at once is fundamentally flawed. The court declines to relegate its Establishment Clause analysis to a purely mathematical exercise."The Court held that the plaintiffs would likely suffer irreparable harm without a temporary restraining order. Sarah fully agrees with the Court's analysis. Beth, while taking serious issue with the executive order, thinks the Court's analysis, particularly on standing, is very thin and problematic. Other NewsWe discuss the Justice Department's indictment of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in connection with the breach of 500 million Yahoo accounts in 2014, and we wonder how the administration will respond. Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner announced this week that there is no indication that the government surveilled Trump Tower before the election. Sean Spicer then told the press that a British intelligence agency, GCHQ, actually did the spying. GCHQ responded by saying that Spicer's allegations are "utterly ridiculous." We applaud the Netherlands for Geert Wilders' defeat, and we lament remarks from Congressman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republicans have been saying "repeal and replace" for seven years. Today, we're talking about their proposal, the American Health Care Act, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Pearls (our quick discussions at important stories of the week) Attorney General Jeff Sessions requested the resignation of 46 United States Attorneys this week. Though it is not unprecedented for new administrations to transition personnel in the Department of Justice, the Trump administration's approach seemed unnecessarily graceless. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, was especially taken aback by the Trump administration's move, refused to resign, and was ultimately fired.We also discussed two thought-provoking pieces on how we take in information. A recent study concluded that Breitbart dominated right-wing media during the 2016 election, creating an ecosystem of thought that altered the broader media agenda. We discuss our thoughts on Breitbart as a nationalist and populist outlet, rather than a conservative one, and on what we see as asymmetric polarization. In connection with exiting the echo chamber, Sarah recommended PolitEcho and Escape Your Bubble. The second piece is a fascinating experiment in gender roles. An NYU professor recreated parts of the debates between Trump and Clinton using a woman actor to play Trump and a male actor to play Clinton. Aside from the gender swap, the language, gestures, and tones of voice exactly mimicked Trump and Clinton during the debates. The results surprised the NYU audiences, and we were surprised by our reactions.As always, we took a moment to compliment the other party. Beth complimented Congresswoman Debbie Dingell for her measured comments on health care reform. Sarah complimented Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner for his willingness to hold town halls and address constituent concerns. The Suit (our closer look at a single topic): Following the November 2016 elections, Beth said that Republicans would have to step up and actually govern now because having an undivided government means there are no excuses. The American Health Care Act is Republicans' first real shot at actually governing, and we're not impressed. First, we discuss the strategy of beginning the legislative agenda with health care when immigration or tax reform seem like more logical choices that would set the stage for health care reform. We also discuss the rushed, secretive process to create the bill and the hypocrisy in pushing... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In preparation for Tuesday's podcast on the Republican health care proposal, Beth gives a quick overview of Medicaid and the American Health Care Act.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss Noah Dyer - candidate for governor in Arizona - who posted a VERY transparent statement on his sex life on his website. Is total transparency something we want? Wikileaks certainly does. We discuss the trove of documents allegedly showing the CIA's cyber hacking capacity and technologies. We also discuss Assange's belief that total transparency is the goal.  We follow up on some feedback from our Book Club discussion with Brynn who shared: I have tried SO. HARD.  since the election to "reach across the aisle" and talk to people like this. But now, 120 days later, I am done. Do I condone physical or verbal aggression towards these people? Of course not. But if they are not willing to see that their views are truly HATEFUL then I don't know what else I can do. At this point I say we just press on without them if they aren't willing to abandon Radical Christian Extremism, embrace public education and accept facts as truth. Because there HAS to be some kind of line in the sand. We cannot keep making excuses for them or analyzing them like we're anthropologists forever. WE (all rational people of any political leaning) have to take a collective stand and tell them NO.    We also discussed our listener Chiara's argument that maybe we do want the President to fail. Chiara wrote us, " I was thinking about how, on the latest episode, you said that you aren't rooting for Trump to fail because you have respect for the office of the president. That's actually something I've been thinking about a lot too...but for me, I'm starting to think that I AM rooting for him to fail...but for the same reason: because I respect the office of the presidency. The truth is, if Trump succeeds, it will inevitably send the message that it is entirely okay for the American people to elect a president who is racist, sexist, bigoted, possibly engaged in illegal activities, and not at all knowledgeable about government or world affairs. If Trump succeeds, people will see that if such a person is elected, everything will be fine. And I don't think that's okay. So I don't want that message to be sent, lest he get re-elected (or we end up with a similar president in the future). It's the same as with President Obama, at least if we're going entirely on identity. Even though I didn't agree with all of his policies, his successful presidency demonstrated that a black, feminist community organizer/constitutional lawyer could do the job relatively well. And I believe that is a great thing, and fundamental to his legacy." We also shared Amanda's thoughts on educated v. expert. "I wonder whether, when we're talking about the value of ideas, we shouldn't put a premium on expertise rather than education alone. They very often come hand in hand, but this leaves the door open for more people, allows more of us into the conversation. It allows both the economics professor and the lifelong welfare recipient to be heard because in different ways, they're both experts. When it comes to crafting policy, things get more complicated (this way of looking at expertise won't be of much use when it come, to dealing with global warming, for example), but I think it provides an okay framework for dealing with certain types of emotional arguments.   Of course, this doesn't shed much light on the... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start the episode with a mini-Russian primer then attempt to work our way through the connections between Russia and the Trump campaign and administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah chats with Megan Hart, the founder of our Pantsuit Politics Book Club, to talk about the February book club pick, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild. They discuss Hochschild's trip deep into Tea Party country and what she learned about their "deep story".  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.