Is the United States headed toward autocracy?
That's a question prompted by a steady stream of executive orders seeking to consolidate power in the White House and upend long held policies and norms.
New York Times Opinion writer M. Gessen lived through much of Russia's slide into autocracy, and wrote a book about it.
They argue that one of the ways Vladimir Putin consolidated power... was by making a series of arguments that seemed outrageous at the time — like the idea that the LGBT population was a threat to Russian sovereignty.
President Donald Trump's second term has been marked by a string of policy proposals that would have been unthinkable in any other administration.
Even if they don't go anywhere, they're reshaping the boundaries of our democracy.
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Cato Daily Podcast - Fentanyl Smugglers Don’t Care about Your Stinkin’ Laws
Lawmakers wouldn't truly change current federal fentanyl policy with the HALT Fentanyl Act; they'd simply continue a framework that has failed over the past seven years to stop sellers of illicit fentanyl from meeting market demand. Jeff Singer explains.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Analysis: Gov. Pritzker’s State Of The State Address
Gov. JB Pritzker took to the Illinois House floor in Springfield on Wednesday to deliver his State of the State address. In it, he presented his budgetary priorities and legislative plans, including regulating prescription drug prices, and he discussed how to address the state’s $3.2 billion deficit. Reset digs into the main takeaways of the governor’s budget address with WBEZ statehouse reporter Mawa Iqbal and Ralph Martire, executive director, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
State of the World from NPR - Europe’s Biggest Economy is in Trouble
Germany's economy boomed as the world underwent globalization. But since then, too little investment, too much bureaucracy and a nearby war in Ukraine has cause Europe's largest economy to stagnate. The issue has played a big role in the upcoming German election. Our Berlin correspondent tells takes us to a German factory.
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Motley Fool Money - The Infrastructure Behind the AI Revolution
If you’ve got a network that can’t go down, you call Arista Networks, a company building the infrastructure for the AI revolution.
(00:21) David Meier and Ricky Mulvey discuss:
- Why Microsoft and Meta rely on Arista Networks.
- How Arista CEO, Jayshree Ullal, is managing Wall Street expectations.
- The downfall of dating app Bumble.
Then, (18:45) Anthony Schiavone joins Ricky to discuss Mid America Apartments, and why some housing costs are swinging back in favor of renters.
Companies discussed: ANET, MSFT, META, BMBL, MAA, AVB
Host: Ricky Mulvey
Guests: David Meier, Anthony Schiavone
Engineers: Dan Boyd, Rick Engdahl
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The Daily Signal - Budget Reconciliation Debate, Trump-Musk Interview, AP’s Oval Office Ban | Feb. 19, 2025
On today’s Top News in 10, we cover:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says “it’s time to act” on a budget reconciliation bill that provides funding to secure the border, rebuild America’s defenses, and promote domestic energy production.
President Trump and Elon Musk sat down for a joint interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity to talk about the Department of Government Efficiency and the Left’s efforts to sow division between the two men.
The White House banished the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One over a dispute on the newly renamed Gulf of America.
Plus, our news flash:
Tensions between President Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelenskyy escalated today following a meeting between Russian officials and Trump’s team in Saudi Arabia.
President Trump says he is firing all the Biden-era U.S. attorneys in a move to restore confidence at the Department of Justice.
Kelly Loeffler was confirmed by the Senate today to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. That sets the stage for a vote on Kash Patel to serve as the next FBI director.
CPAC starts Thursday on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and Vice President JD Vance is slated to kick off the event. The Daily Signal will have a spot on CPAC’s media row.
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The Journal. - State Farm Cut Policies. Then the Fires Hit.
In recent years, most home insurers were fleeing areas of California with high risk for wildfires. But State Farm was there, dominating the market. Then, just months before the devastating L.A. fires, the company dropped 30,000 homeowners from their books. WSJ’s Jean Eaglesham explains how the risk that State Farm unloaded is now a problem for the rest of California.
Further Reading:
-State Farm Was All In on California – Until it Pulled the Plug Before the Fires
-Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire
Further Listening:
-Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left.
-Insuring a Home in California Is Getting Harder
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The Bulwark Podcast - Jared Moskowitz and Zeke Faux: Scams Galore
Crypto should be one of the biggest stories out of the Trump administration, but the crypto guys are really good at making it seem more complicated than it is. Bloomberg's Zeke Faux joins Tim to run down the ins-and-outs, and the players—including the Chinese businessman facing SEC charges who swears the $56 million he gave Trump has absolutely nothing, zero, zilch to do with his case. Meanwhile, we're about to find out how much Republicans really care about the deficit with the coming budget, and the Democrats must not cave. Plus, Elon's crappy math, America would not get anything out of Trump's deal with Russia, and Tuesday's violence in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Zeke Faux join Tim Miller.
show notes
Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Zeke Faux join Tim Miller.
show notes
1A - ICYMI: Trump Fired And Unfired The Employees That Manage Our Nuclear Stockpile
It was an abrupt about-face. Last Thursday, federal employees at the agency that manages the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons were suddenly let go by the Trump administration, with some employees receiving the news late Thursday night.
Then, as early as the next morning, some of those firings were reversed, with employees being told they should come back to work.
The White House has struggled to reach some of the employees it fired to tell them that they still have their jobs.
We discuss what's happening at the Department of Energy's agency for our nuclear stockpile and what this latest firing of federal employees could mean for our security.
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Then, as early as the next morning, some of those firings were reversed, with employees being told they should come back to work.
The White House has struggled to reach some of the employees it fired to tell them that they still have their jobs.
We discuss what's happening at the Department of Energy's agency for our nuclear stockpile and what this latest firing of federal employees could mean for our security.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Song Exploder - Sasami – In Love With A Memory (feat. Clairo)
Sasami is a singer, songwriter and producer who grew up in Los Angeles. But now she’s based in Northern California, and as you’ll hear in this episode, that’s significant. Sasami went to school for classical French horn. She was in the band Cherry Glazerr, and she’s had a lot of collaborations with other artists on their projects and her own. Collaboration is at the heart of the song that I talked to her about for this episode. It’s called “In Love With A Memory,” and it features Clairo on vocals, and it was co-produced with Grammy-winning producer Rostam. The song is on Sasami’s third album, Blood on the Silver Screen, which is out March 2025. Coming up, you’ll hear the original voice memos that she recorded for this song back in the fall of 2022. You’ll also hear the demo she made in Garageband after that, and then how she and Rostam turned that demo into the final version, a duet with Clairo.
For more info, visit songexploder.net/sasami.