Month: September 2018

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Opening Arguments - OA211: Manafort Flips (and more on Kavanaugh)

Today's Rapid Response Friday tackles (1) Paul Manafort's plea deal and (2) the surprise resumption of the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh in light of Dr. Ford's allegations, which are discussed in depth on Episode 158 of Serious Inquiries Only.  What should you look for during Monday's hearings?  Listen and find out! We begin with an acknowledgment of the story sent to us by several hundred thousand listeners regarding crazy person Cody Wilson. After that, it's time for an important Andrew Was Wrong:  Paul Manafort did not plea over the weekend; he pled guilty pretty much the second we stopped recording!  We break down everything there is to know about his deal, including the strong incentives Manafort has not only to cooperate but to roll over and expose his belly to Mueller's team in hopes of being thrown a bone or two.  Oh, and we time-travel back to the 19th century to answer a super-interesting listener question on asset forfeiture! Then, it's time to discuss Kavanaugh again, in light of the troubling accusations made by Dr. Ford and other issues, including the Democratic Senators's FOIA lawsuit compelling the production of Kavanaugh's documents that are being withheld while the Republicans try and cram through his nomination.  It's not a pretty segment, but we think you'll walk away equipped to understand Monday's hearings. After all that, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #94 regarding Congressional delegation of rule-making authority.  Will Thomas get back on track with just one extra wrong answer to give in the next six questions?  Yu'll have to listen and find out!  And, of course, if you'd like to play along with us, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your guess and the #TTTBE hashtag.  We'll release the answer on next Tuesday's episode along with our favorite entry! Appearances Andrew will be debating originalist (and Kavanaugh clerk!) Justin Reed Wilson in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27; click here for the Facebook RSVP link if you'd like to attend! Show Notes & Links
  1. For an in-depth analysis of Dr. Ford's allegations against Kavanaugh, listen to Episode 158 of Serious Inquiries Only.
  2. You should really read through Mr. Ostrich-Jacket's plea deal for yourself.  (And yes, that's the show graphic.)  This is the TPM article Andrew criticizes; as you'll see from the Sentencing Table, Manafort faces 210-262 (or more) months in prison.
  3. Here's the polling aggregator from our friends at 538.; as of today, Democrats have a 1-in-3 chance of retaking the Senate.
  4. Click here to read Blumenthal v. US Nat'l Archives, the FOIA complaint filed by the Senate Judiciary Democrats, and here to read the Motion for TRO (which does not yet have an accompanying Memorandum).  FOIA is 5 U.S.C. § 552.
  5. Finally, this is the text of the Sanai letter describing Alex Kozinski and seeking an investigation into Kavanaugh's knowledge and testimony.
Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/law Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/ Don't forget the OA Facebook Community! For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki And email us at openarguments@gmail.com  
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The Gist - What Is … a Podcast, Alex?

On The Gist, Christine Blasey Ford deserves a hearing on her own terms, and that’s all we can say for now.

Bert Kreischer is a comic who started out as just the biggest college partier in America according to Rolling Stone magazine in 1997. Since then he’s been grappling with fame, how much of his own life to use for comedy, and the way his father shamed him into doing stand-up comedy. Kreischer’s new special on Netflix is Secret Time.

In the Spiel, Jeopardy finally notices podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Bay Curious - The Story Behind Belmont’s Painted Fire Hydrants

Dozens of fire hydrants around the town of Belmont have one-of-a-kind paint jobs that date back to the early 1970s.


Reported by Suzie Racho. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Ryan Levi and Suzie Racho. Additional support from Julie Caine, Ethan Lindsey, Erika Kelly and Katie McMurran. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

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Pod Save America - “Unfazed and determined.”

Republicans refuse to allow an independent investigation into credible claims of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and Democrats worry about Latino turnout in the midterms. Then Chef Jose Andres talks to Jon and Tommy about his hurricane relief work and new book “We Fed An Island,” and Julissa Arce talks to Jon about giving Steve Bannon a copy of her new book, “Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought For Her American Dream."

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - The Cypherpunk’s Elixxir

Cryptocurrency exchanges react furiously to a new report from the New York Attorney General’s office.

-AND-

Another Japanese exchange loses millions of dollars to hackers.

-ALSO-

Cypherpunk veteran David Chaum has a new coin: Elixxir.

-DON’T MISS-


CoinDesk research analyst Peter Ryan joins host Marc Hochstein to discuss the latest statistics on blockchain venture capital and ICOs.


Recorded September 20, 2018 in New York, NY.


Thanks to our sponsors!

Said Business School, University of Oxford

Oxford Fintech Programme

Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme


Late Confirmation is a CoinDesk production made in collaboration with The Podglomerate.

For more information, visit www.CoinDesk.com



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This is Capitalism - Financialisation: The New Age of Capitalism – Episode 9

Banking used to be a laid-back profession involving long lunches and the odd loan approval to a business. Over the last few decades that has all changed as financial institutions focus increasingly on selling products to the public and thinking up ever more complicated money making schemes for the world markets. This process - often described as financialisation - has meant increased profits for the banks but is also seen as a threat to the rest of the economy. Authors Rana Foroohar and Joshua Ryan-Collins argue that some financial institutions may once again repeating old mistakes
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This is Capitalism - State Capitalism: The New Age of Capitalism – Episode 8

David Grossman considers the growing influence and appeal of state capitalism, asking whether free-market and state capitalist systems can coexist and compete fairly. Joining David are Joshua Kurlantzick, author of "How the Return of Statism is Transforming the World", and economist Dr Linda Yueh, author of "The Great Economists, How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today".
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This is Capitalism - Turbo-Capitalism: The New Age of Capitalism – Episode 7

Governments are often ready to close down sectors of their economies which they believe are inefficient, like coal mining, and keen to promote more efficient high tech companies. Back in 2000, author and government adviser Edward Luttwak coined the term Turbo Capitalism to describe how governments are enabling the destruction of well paid "dignified" jobs and replacing them with poorly paid low status occupations. These new roles may appear to be part of a more efficient system, but are, he argues, actually more damaging to society as a whole. He is joined by author James Bloodworth, who described the six months he spent working undercover in a variety of poorly paid positions in "Hired".