Pantsuit Politics

With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, we focus on what Democrats can and should do to move forward before the midterms.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode of the Briefcase, we talk about the appointment of H.R. McMaster before discussing the town hall meetings taking place during the Congressional recess. We discuss the Affordable Care Act and the political climate surrounding it. We also talk about the Trump administration's decision to revoke the Obama administration's guidance on transgender restrooms in schools, the role of the judiciary and the legislature, and the cultural polarization around these issues. We end with listener feedback on our last episode and a message from Autumn about Trump's creation of an "in group" and "out group."  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we talk about a provocative New York Times essay, "Are Liberals Helping Trump?" But first, we continue our efforts to keep up with the chaotic pace of news.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We bemoan the chaotic state of the news and try to tackle the highlights from the past few days' headlines. We discuss President Trump's frequent (and expensive) trips to Mar-a-Lago. Beyond the conflicts of interest, watching members of the club post pictures during what seemingly was a security crisis bother us and many others. We also discuss National Security Council Advisor Mike Flynn's resignation and President Trump's inability to take contradictory advice.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First up, Trump and Kellyanne fight with Nordstrom. Trump earlier this week tweeted that "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person – always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!" (And it was retweeted by the official @POTUS account) Then, Kellyanne stated on Fox & Friends: "Go buy Ivanka's stuff, is what I would tell you," Conway said. "It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully -- I'm going to just, I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online."The comments could run afoul of a federal law that bars public employees from making an "endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity."James Nuzzo, a legal scholar and founder of the Colchester Group consulting firm, took a closer look at President Trump's tweet and noticed something very important was missing: Specifics. All the tweet accuses Nordstrom of "doing" is being "very unfair," Nuzzo points out. Any lawsuit the company brings against Mr. Trump would have almost no chance of success. Moreover, the U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that only factual misrepresentation, in other words specific lies — not opinion — would be considered libel or slander. And the tweet almost seems to have been crafted very wisely with that precedent in mind. Someone saying another person or company is "unfair" is almost the definition of an opinion as "fairness" cannot really be defined legally or otherwise. In short, don't expect President Trump to get a slap on the wrist or any other kind of slap from the courts over this.Congress is a different matter. A much stronger argument could be made that Congress could officially censure President Trump for his conduct connected to the tweet against Nordstrom and several others like it that specifically attacked or demeaned businesses and individuals.Plus, we ask Just how much trouble is Michael Flynn in? and talk about North Korea conducts ballistic missile test.In the Suit, we talk about Washington v. Trump and do our best to summarize the decision. The procedural history of 9th Circuit decision: A. The state of Washington went to federal district court asking for a temporary restraining order (TRO). When a hearing happens, Washington wants a declaration that the order is illegal and unconstitutional and permanently enjoined from enforcement. (Minnesota jumped in as a plaintiff, too)The District Judge granted that TRO. The President asked the 9th circuit to stay the TRO. So, Washington said, “STOP enforcing this EO until a full hearing can happen.” The district court did. Then the President said to the circuit court “stop the district court’s order stopping my order until a full hearing can happen. And the 9th circuit said, “nope, we’re going with that restraining order.” Standing — cases and controversies — you can only bring a lawsuit if you have a particular and specific, non-theoretical injury that a court could actually redress. The states of Washington and Minnesota said that they were harmed because the EO kept people from coming to their public universities and the states are... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listeners Aaron and Sierra join Beth for a quick overview of executive power.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Nevertheless, she persisted." Did Senator McConnell make a rare strategic mistake or was this all political theater? Was the raid on Yemen worth the cost?We talk about that and more on today's Briefcase, as well as sharing Sarah's talk with Jay Carson - the conservative counterpart on The Politics Guys podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Steven Bannon really in charge? Does Congress want to pollute our streams? Does Donald Trump have it out for the judiciary branch? We check in with all three branches and talk to Jason Murray, a former law clerk for Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah talks with Dr. Tamara Tweel, Director of Strategic Development for the Hillel International Office of Innovation, about how her involuntary miscarriage brought her before the Ohio state legislator discussing voluntary abortion.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our executive producer Nicholas Holland and friend of the pod Annie Kratzsch help us process the chaos that ensued after President Trump's Executive Order on immigration and refugees.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.