Political Playlist Happy Hour

On this political happy hour, Michael and Anna are joined by Congressman Gabe Amo, a Democrat from Rhode Island's 1st Congressional district for a wide-ranging discussion on the latest news surrounding ICE and their potentially unconstitutional tactics, his experience working with local governments on gun violence during the Biden administration and his optimistic view of why more young people should run for office.

On this episode of the Happy Hour, Michael, Anna and Anthony dive head first into the exploding events happening in Minneapolis, and what this escalation of ICE violence really means and how to think about it...warning, this episode is EXPLICIT. We then segue to Venezuela and what Congressman Dan Crenshaw is saying about it, before tackling the evolving potential revolution happening in Iran right now. Finally, we bring you a little bit of a win of the week in the form of ACA subsidy extensions.

Contrary to the words of America's Pop Star Sweetheart, The US is in fact gonna do regime change and it's underway in Venezuela. Michael, Anna and Anthony kick off the new year with some fresh takes on the recent US extraction of President Maduro, before shifting their gears towards Jake Auchincloss, the politician on their playlist and according to the WaPo, perhaps the future of centrist democrats. Then, the gang discusses how to talk about Jan 6, and highlight the story of a particularly commendable America Pamela Hemphill seeking redemption for her actions on that day.

On this final Happy Hour before the holiday break, Michael, Anna and Anthony discuss the latest in a tragic weekend filled with all sorts of senseless violence, and particularly how our leaders respond to such events. The gang then discusses Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and how to talk about this damning Vanity Fair article on the Trump Administration Cabinet.

On this episode of the Happy Hour, Michael, Anna and Anthony breakdown the latest news surrounding the soon to be expiring ACA subsidies unless Congress gets their act together! We then talk about Haley Stevens, the politician on our Playlist, we discuss how to talk about the Texas Senate race and then we bring you the win of the week in the form of Anna Paulina Luna fighting to ban Congressional stock trading.

On this episode of the Happy Hour, Michael and Anna break down all the latest turbulent news about Secretary of Bro Energy Pete Hegseth and the newly uncovered reporting about his boat strikes. Then, Anna and Anthony welcome back to the show William He, the young founder of Dream For America, a progressive organization he started at the age of 16. Update, he's only still in college. So he's pretty impressive to say the least.

This Thanksgiving week we're truly GIVING with this re-release of our interview with Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL). He's 28 years old, has been in office for 3 years, is a badass drummer and leader of the progressive movement. We chat about his journey into politics via the gun control movement and how he messages so well as a young politician. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

On this episode of the Happy Hour, Michael, Anna and Anthony discuss the latest breaking news surrounding the release of the Epstein Files, and particularly how a few of our young female lawmakers were quite instrumental in making that happen. Then we discuss Anna Paulina Luna and Kat Cammack, two politicians on our playlist this week and later in the show we break down how to talk about the issue of affordability. And finally, there is a BIG win this week and that is that 7 out of the 10 people running to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler in NYC are under the age of 45! We dig.

On this episode, Anna and Anthony kick Michael out to talk about the pending end of the longest government shutdown in history and specifically what it means for healthcare premiums. They also dive into Rep. Elise Stefanik's expected announcement to run for governor of New York and share some good news from the Supreme Court this week because lord knows we all need it!

On this episode of the Happy Hour, Michael and Anthony have an election night recap, and marvel at the Democrat's scorecard having run the tables and exceeded expectations. Then they discuss prop 50 in California and Republican Rep Kevin Kiley, the politician on our playlist. They wrap up breaking down how to talk about SNAP benefits and how the government shutdown is tragically effecting this program.

On this episode, Michael and Anna are joined by author, historian, and Substack extraordinaire Lorissa Rinehard to discuss her new book Winning The Earthquake: How Jeanette Rankin Defied All Odds To Become The First Woman In Congress. It's a fantastic discussion filled with a bunch of issues that still resonate today. But before that, Michael and Anna dive into the recent news surrounding these military drone strikes on suspected drug cartel boats, and what the broader implications of that are.

On this episode of the Happy Hour, we commemorate our 200th episode! Anthony was off on assignment so Michael an Anna took the wheel to discuss the monumental events that unfolded in the middle east, the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, the tentative and fragile new peace agreement and what the future might look like. Then, they discuss the politician on our playlist, Rep Delia Ramirez and what's happening on the streets of Chicago, Tariffs and the chock hold they're putting our farmers in, and the surprise Democratic ally in Marjorie Taylor Greene !

On this Happy Hour, Michael and Anna sit down with Congressional Candidate Patrick Roath, challenging incumbent Democrat Stephen Lynch for Massachusetts 8th Congressional district seat! The conversation is wide ranging, from his impressive campaign finance haul so far, to the issues he wants to solve in his home district of Boston. But first, the gang vent over this F$&! wrecking ball hitting the East Wing of the White House.

On this Happy Hour, Michael and Anna sit down with Congressional Candidate Patrick Roath, challenging incumbent Democrat Stephen Lynch for Massachusetts 8th Congressional district seat! The conversation is wide ranging, from his impressive campaign finance haul so far, to the issues he wants to solve in his home district of Boston. But first, the gang vent over this F$&! wrecking ball hitting the East Wing of the White House.

This is the one you've been waiting for Playlisters! Michael and Anna sit down with Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York, to discuss how he so effectively governs in one of the purplest districts in the Country. They discuss immigration, the shutdown, how to apply pragmatic bipartisanship to getting sensible policy passed.

Back in the USA! Anna rejoins her gang for this action-packed, newsy Happy Hour where the Playlisters share their thoughts on Pete Hegseth's Pentagon TED talk, the latest in the government shutdown, highlighting Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, who's on our playlist this week. And later in the show, they discuss how to talk about Fascism, the buzzy world that has rankled some Republicans as of late. And lastly we dig deep to find the win of the week, which is unequivocally Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah.

What up, Playlisters...Anna's still away so we're still bro-ing down in the studio, and Michael and Anthony have a real doozy of an ep for ya! We discuss the apparent nefarious telecomm attack that seems to have been foiled by the Secret Service surrounding the UN General Assembly as well as Trump's pivot on Ukraine there and how folks like Rep. Mike Lawler are very happy about this. We then discuss the looming shutdown and what this all means, particularly for Jared Golden, who's on our playlist this week. Finally, we breakdown how to talk about the latest Tiktok acquisition and what this means for us and U.S. And finally, we celebrate Kimmel's return. Spoiler, his monologue was outstanding and met the moment!

In this episode the Happy Hour, Michael and Anthony discuss the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, the implications for political discourse, and the reactions from various leaders. They explore the complexities of free speech, the role of media in shaping narratives, and highlight the promising political figure of Andy Kim. The conversation also delves into the breaking news about ABC preemptively pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air in response to threats by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Whoa. Yeah, it's a doozy.

In this episode, Michael, Anna and Anthony the recent Supreme Court ruling affecting ICE practices, the impact of tariffs on American companies like John Deere, and the political landscape surrounding Ashley Hinson's newly announced Senate campaign. They also analyze recent job numbers and the overall economic outlook, concluding with a discussion on notable political figures and their potential impact on upcoming elections.

On this Happy Hour, Michael, Anna and Anthony discuss the recent bogus climate report from the Trump Administration which fits into a broader scheme to completely control and manipulate all government data, to the detriment of...YOU. The gang cites the CDC's leadership debacle, the attempted takeover of the Fed, and other statistical interference as evidence for things becoming less trustworthy. Then the discussion segues to Josh Riley, the politician from upstate NY who's on our playlist this week with a new bipartisan bill with Mike Lawler. And the big topic to unpack how to talk about is none other than AI. Chapters00:00 Introduction and Lighthearted Banter02:10 Data Manipulation in Climate Reporting09:17 The Impact of Climate Denial on Public Perception12:22 Reframing Climate Change Narratives16:14 CDC and Public Health Concerns21:31 Bipartisan Efforts in Congress26:48 Streamlining Food Assistance Programs28:08 Navigating Senior Care Challenges32:26 The Impact of AI on Employment44:59 Legislative Responses to AI and Ethics in Congress