Beyond Politics

It's the "Boppies": our annual award show of the highlights and lowlights in news, politics, and current events for 2024. In Part One we cover categories such as Most Valuable Player (MVP) on both the Democratic and Republican sides, 'Perp of the Year,' and the most significant news stories of 2024. 00:00 Opening Remarks and Fashion Highlights 03:10 Introducing the Gala and Categories 03:37 Democratic MVP Nominees 08:36 Republican MVP Nominees 13:44 Perp of the Year: Political Scandals 20:32 Best Achievement in Legislation 24:04 News Story of the Year

How did Elon Musk corner Donald Trump into a fit of chaos that could shutter the entire US government? Matt, Paul, and guest panelist Republican political consultant Matt Wylie discuss how the rapid meltdown could be a preview of the next four years of Trump giving Republicans fits. We also analyze Trump's lawsuits against media figures and the chilling effect on journalism, and a close look at the big Daylight Savings Time fight. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Host Announcement 01:34 House Speaker Mike Johnson's Challenges 02:12 Government Shutdown and Debt Ceiling Crisis 06:02 Elon Musk's Influence on Politics 09:46 Republican Party's Internal Struggles 12:12 Trump's Governance by Chaos 15:36 Future Political Strategies and Predictions 23:43 Midterm Election Prospects and Historical Patterns 28:13 Trump's Legal Battles and Media Accountability 34:01 The Future of Free Press and Media Ownership 42:23 Debate on Daylight Savings Time

Did American Jews Mess Up Hanukkah and How Can It Be Fixed? Matt Robison explores how American Jews altered Hanukkah in an attempt to align it with the new "American Christmas," of the 19th century, and why the initiative never really worked. 00:00 Introduction and Article Overview 02:09 The Cultural Confluence of Hanukkah and Christmas 02:31 The Historical Context of Hanukkah 03:42 The Commercialization of Christmas and Its Impact on Hanukkah 05:41 The Failure of the Hanukkah Makeover 08:08 Proposed Changes to Hanukkah Traditions 12:17 Conclusion and Upcoming Content

Matt, Paul and Alicia started off with President Biden's record-setting number of clemency petitions and that led right into the question of whether we're living in a Trump warp where everything that we do is being bent around Trump or our fears of what he might do in the future. We also talked about the bizarre, cruel online reaction to alleged murderer Luigi Mangione and what it says about where we are culturally. And finally we had to hit two late breaking stories. Donald Trump being named Time's Person of the Year and a plague of drones attacking New Jersey. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:57 Biden's Record Clemency Announcement 03:47 The Trump Warp Theory 13:22 The Luigi Mangione Case 30:13 Trump Named Time's Person of the Year 32:15 Mysterious Drones Over New Jersey

The Fall of Assad Throws the Future of the Middle East Into Uncertainty. Matt is joined by former Middle East editor for the Associated Press, Dan Perry, to discuss the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and its implications for the Middle East. What will it mean for the stability of Syria and the broader region, and what is the impact on global politics including the US, Israel, Europe, Russia, and Iran? They also touch on the complexities of the US State Department's response, the role of Donald Trump, and the fate of long-held American captive Austin Tice. 00:00 Introduction and Middle East Shakeup Overview 00:51 Guest Introduction: Dan Perry's Expertise 02:58 The Role of Hezbollah and Israel's Impact 04:59 Unintended Consequences and Global Reactions 07:33 The Fall of Assad and Rebel Dynamics 11:47 US and International Perspectives 17:48 Trump's Potential Influence and Future Implications 26:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Assessing Nominee Threats, Hunter Biden's Pardon, and 2024's Word of the Year: Matt, Paul, and Alicia engage in a lively debate about which Trump nominee, Kash Patel or Peter Hegseth, poses a greater threat to America. They also discuss President Biden's recent pardon of his son, Hunter, and reach a counterintuitive conclusion. The show wraps up with an amusing yet thought-provoking discussion on Oxford's 2024 word of the year, and its implications for society. 00:00 Introduction and Game Setup 01:11 Who's a Bigger Threat to America? 02:26 Debating the Nominees 04:07 Paul's Profanity-Laced Tirade 06:02 Matt's Turn and Shawshank Reference 12:51 Discussion on Pardons 19:41 The Role of Press Secretaries 23:14 Word of the Year: Brain Rot 24:28 The Impact of Social Media on Society 32:17 Concluding Thoughts and Historical Context

Matt, Paul, and Alicia look at the question from Matt's most recent Newsweek column: is Trump falling into the mandate trap? New numbers from post-election analysis pain a pretty clear picture of what voters want and the limits of what voters want. In the case of Trump, there are very sharp limits on what voters will tolerate, and he seems to be pushing past them already. 01:06 Election Analysis: Trump's Mandate 03:13 Hakeem Jeffries and the Freedom Caucus 05:37 Political Negotiations and Compromises 11:28 Voter Sentiments and Democratic Party Challenges 25:15 Thanksgiving and Final Thoughts

We're joined by Mark Jacob, former editor for both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. His most recent book is "Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein shook up the world of sports. " It's a remarkable story about how a 5-3 Jewish immigrant became one of the most important figures in American sports history. Abe Saperstein founded the Harlem Globetrotters. His drive, determination, and creativity led to, among other things, the integration of basketball, the three-point line, and breaking baseball's color line. He even had a hand at American diplomacy in the 1950s and sixties. We also had to talk politics at the end, and discuss how the media is falling into the MAGA trap in even subtler ways these days. 00:22 The Story of Abe Saperstein 03:10 Saperstein's Impact on Basketball and Baseball 05:33 The Jewish Experience and Racism 13:33 Saperstein's Role in Diplomacy 16:38 The Globetrotters and Minstrelsy 22:13 Connecting Sports and Media 24:10 Pro-Democracy Journalism 29:03 Subtle Media Manipulation 35:24 The Democrat Party Tactic 41:19 Entertainment as Propaganda 47:44 Respecting Different Views 50:14 Concluding Thoughts

Matt Gaetz is out. But Peter Hegseth is still in and so are a bunch of other Trump nominees who have a mix of no qualifications and disqualifications, How are senators supposed to weigh those factors, especially when they depend on accusations> And how do we prevent nominations like this from becoming another polarizing Brett Kavanaugh-esque test that forces each side into their partisan corners and ultimately just results in giving Donald Trump what he wants? Also, Representative Nancy Mace's controversial rules change preventing transgender Congresswoman Sarah McBride from using women's facilities. And finally, an update on Matt's culinary interest in Paul and Alicia's pets. 00:00 Matt Gaetz's Exit 02:01 Controversial Trump Nominees 04:55 Debating Qualifications vs. Allegations 07:07 The Role of Senate in Vetting Nominees 09:14 Personal Conduct and Public Office 24:50 The Matt Gaetz Update 26:52 Transgender Rights in Congress 40:03 Closing Thoughts and Pets on the Menu

Matt Robison and Howard Monroe explore not only why things under Trump may not be as bad as they seem at first, but why it's so critical for people to feel better, more upbeat, and more positive about politics. 00:39 The Dismal Seriousness of American Politics 01:08 The Election and Trump's Cabinet Nominations 02:18 Making Politics Fun Again 03:39 The Impact of Media and Messaging 07:07 Challenges for the Democratic Party 16:33 Trump's Nominations and Their Implications 28:31 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook