law

OA273: Sears, Steve Mnuchin & “The Producers”

Today's episode features a deep dive into a just-filed lawsuit by Sears against its CEO, Eddie Lampert, and certain directors, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.  The lawsuit alleges that Eddie & Steve managed to wreck not one but two long-standing American institutions.  How?  Why? And what does any of this have to do with one of the best comedies of all time,  The Producers?  Listen and find out!

We begin, however, with a very b...

T(&M)TTBE #123: Full Question Text for Patrons

OA272: Impeachment, Redactions, and Russia

Today's episode brings you a trio of stories about the changing political landscape in the wake of the release of the [REDACTED] Mueller report; namely (1) will the President be impeached (and if so, can the Senate block the impeachment), (2) will we see a full, unredacted version of the report, and (3) just how pro-Russia is this administration, anyway?

We begin with a question asked by listener Thomas S. as to whether Mitch McConnell can... well, Mitch McConnell any impeachment hearin...

OA271: Dis-Barred (?) – The Mueller Report

Today, we break down the just-released [REDACTED] Mueller report.  The top-line analysis?  This is much worse than we anticipated in Episode 264.  This report may not be the end of the road for Trump -- but it almost certainly is the end of the road for Attorney General William Barr.

That's it!  We spend nearly 90 minutes delving through the minutiae and correcting the egregious misquotations in Barr's now-laughable "summary" of the report.

Show Notes ...

NEW INTRO QUOTES!

You fine people know the drill:  post clips of 15 seconds or less, and vote up the ones you like best with the heart for the new show intro starting at episode 275.

New patrons:  please make sure you're posting actual audio clips at the correct timestamp for your submission.  (You'd be surprised how many suggestions we get like "Hey, you should do that one scene from My Cousin Vinny where, you know, Joe Pesci is super funny, come on, you know the...

OA270: HAPPY TAX DAY!

Today's episode brings you a trio of timely stories that all revolve around taxes:  the Michael Avenatti indictment (for 29 courts of tax fraud), proposed legislation that some are arguing hamstrings the IRS, and (of course) the status of Congress's efforts to get Trump's tax returns.  We also learned about very cool free online tax filing (Free File)... albeit too late to help most of you.  Sorry about ...

TTTBE #122: Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas ruled out (B) and (C) -- the two most attractive distractors, in my opinion -- and then correctly settled on (D)!  He's now 71-for-122 (58.2%),

OA269: JULIAN ASSANGE ARRESTED

Today's episode breaks down the recent arrest of Julian Assange in England and what it means for Chelsea Manning (and Donald Trump!) 

We begin, however, with two separate sports-related stories:  the improbable success of Marcus Rademacher in the Opening Arguments March Madness pool, and the (far sadder) saga of the Trump Administration's indefensible decision to overrule the MLB's deal with...

TTTBE #122: Full Question Text for Patrons

Law'd Awful Movies #28: Alex Jones Deposition

We watched the pilot episode of the new tv show Alex Jones Deposition! The writers reallllly got carried away on this Alex Jones character... Prepare to learn a ton about conducting depositions and also apparently why every single thing was a false flag. Including this episode. 

Watch the absurdity here. Transcript 2019-04-09 22:11:44 +0000 UTC View Post

OA268: Article V Conventions (w/Lawrence Lessig)

Today's episode revisits the topic Andrew discussed briefly in Episode 252:  Article V conventions convened for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.  Joining Andrew is Prof. Lawrence Lessig, perhaps the most vocal liberal proponent of such conventions.  Andrew, you may recall, was skeptical and concerned about the risks that such conventions could po...

OA268 Show Notes for the Lessig discussion

Hey, $3+ patrons!  Showing you extra-special folks some extra-special love this week with a copy of Andrew's show notes that he used as a guidepost for his conversation with Lawrence Lessig.  Enjoy!

TTTBE #121: Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas just talked himself out of this one, correctly narrowing it down to (A) and (C) before thinking that some Obama executive action rendered the correct answer (C).

Sadly, he's down to 70-for-121 (57.9%).

OA267: Originalism and the Eighth Amendment (Bucklew v. Precythe)

Today's breaking news episode takes an in-depth look at Bucklew v. Precythe, a recent Supreme Court decision that lays bare the "originalist" view of the Eighth Amendment.  Is it as bad as you think it is?  (Yes.)

We begin, however, with a look at Texas v. U.S. and the recent news that the Trump administration "changed its mind" and "will no longer defend" the Affordable Care Act.  What does that mean?  Listen and find out!

Then, it'...

TTTBE #121: Full Question Text for Patrons

OA266: Auer Deference & Florida Felons

Today's classic, deep-dive Tuesday takes an in-depth look at two critical issues in the news:  first, the recent effort by the Republican governor and state legislature in Florida to undo the broadly popular Constitutional Amendment passed during the 2018 midterms to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences, and second, the Supreme Court's next assault on the "administrative state," this time, by likely ending the doctrine of Auer deference.

...

QnA 21 Audio

Sorry you missed us, but here's some high-quality audio of the 21st live QnA!

TTTBE #120: Early Answer for Patrons!

Thomas got this one right, and is now a nice round 70-for-120 (58.3%).

QnA 21

Let's see if we can get this to go on time...

OA265: The Investigation is Over, But the Investigations Continue (feat. Randall Eliason)

Today's breaking news episode contains a long interview with everyone's favorite former prosecutor, Randall Eliason, who helps answer some nagging questions about what we do know about the Mueller Report (alongside all the things we don't).

We begin, however, with a brief Andrew Was Right (about the Barr Summary and the news cycle!) and Wrong (about the specifics of the Assange indictment).

Then, it's time for our main segment with Professor Eliason; you won't wa...

TTTBE #120: Full Question Text for Patrons

Barr Summary show notes

As promised, here are my notes from the show AND the interview questions I sent to Randall Eliason; you'll see we went off script a bit but that's just a function of how much we love talking to him.

One correction:  the Assange indictment was (probably?) handed off by SCO to the EDVA, so that makes the first point I discuss in the Barr Summary technically correct but highly misleading... which is, of course, the theme of the entire episode.

Enjoy!

Bonus: Comparing Starr and Mueller

Andrew and Thomas come at you unedited and uncensored for a Linda Tripp down memory lane. How did the Starr investigation and report compare to what has happened so far with Mueller and Barr? No clownhorns on this one!

OA264: The Barr Summary of the Mueller Report

Today's emergency, late-breaking episode breaks down the Barr Summary of the Mueller Report and gives you some advance warning that the narrative on the Mueller report is about to shift very quickly in the opposite direction.  Get ahead of the story by listening today!

Due to the length of the breakdown, we don't have our regular segments today, but we do have...

Monthly Q&A Thread!

You know the drill -- post your questions here & upvote with the heart the ones you'd like to see us answer.  Please do not post any Mueller Report questions!  We're going to tackle that in depth today, and it will be old news by the time we do a Q&A!

TTTBE #119: Early Answer for Patrons

"I don't want to exaggerate my grain contracts," says Thomas, as he tries to judge between (B) and (C).  After initially being tempted by (C), Thomas went with his gut, and sadly is now 69-for-119 (58.0%). 

OA263: Nielsen v. Preap and Due Process Due Aliens

Today's breaking news episode contains your guide to the hotly-debated Supreme Court decision in Nielsen v. Preap, regarding how and whether aliens can be detained without due process.  What does it all mean?  Listen and find out!

We begin, however, with a brief update on the Congressional Investigations we discussed in Episode 259 with the news...

TTTBE #119: Full Question Text for Patrons

OA262: Is Gideon v. Wainwright in Trouble??

Today's episode is inspired by the 56th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, one of the most famous and celebrated landmark Supreme Court cases that guarantees indigent defendants the right to a court-appointed lawyer.  Is it under attack from our right-wing Supreme Court?  (You bet it is.)

We begin with a quick update on the recent district court opinion in ...

TTTBE #118: Early Answer for Patrons

Against all odds, Thomas got this one right and is now 69-for-118 (58.5%) and is on a two-question winning streak as he tries to inch ever closer to the coveted 60% threshold.