Off The Record With Paul Hodes

Mike and I discuss the various labels you should be paying attention to in the stock market. For instance, a popular value index fund, the iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (ticker IVE) includes Microsoft which is typically a growth company. Here is where knowing the ingredients of the fund is crucial.

Two expert pollsters wanted to know what swing voters thought of the Republican candidates in the Presidential debate -- so they tested them with dials as they watched. The results should make the entire Republican Party nervous.

The first debate may be other Republican candidates' best chance to make up some ground on Donald Trump -- who isn't even showing up -- but it seems like the other candidates are going to defend him rather than try to beat him. Can that work? Or are these candidates just cementing his place as the eventual nominee?

As part of our financial life planning series, financial planner Mike Morton and Matt Robison explore why it is liberating to embrace the idea that individual lives may not hold significant meaning in the grand scheme of things. In fact, embracing that notion can help you do things that are more fulfilling, spend your time more wisely, and make better decisions.

What if the laws that allow billions of dollars of dark money to drive American politics are based on...a mistake? One of America’s most prominent legal scholars thinks that’s exactly what’s happened, and he’s going to give someone $50,000 to help him prove it. Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School and the founder of Equal Citizens, an advocacy group whose mission is to fix democracy by establishing truly equal citizenship. On Labor Day, September 4, 2023, Equal Citizens will launch a video competition with (at least one) $50,000 prize for whoever can help clearly and concisely explain the legal argument for why SuperPACs can be regulated. To find out more about the contest and enter, go to the contest page: https://equalcitizens.us/crowdfund-video/ And to watch a longer explanation of Professor Lessig's argument, see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPTY327iRJA&feature=youtu.be

Even before he became NPR's Kabul-based reporter on the war in Afghanistan, Sean Carberry had traveled the globe telling the on-the-ground stories from conflict zones that shaped our understanding of the world. Now out with his new book "Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home," the current Managing Editor of National Defense Magazine shares stories and lessons learned from over a decade in some of the most difficult and dangerous places on Earth.

The fourth Trump indictment in Georgia is being driven by the RICO statute, which has serious implications for what Trump and his conspirators can be charged with and found guilty of. Also, why haven't Republicans found a political way out of their Trump mess, and have two conservative legal scholars found a constitutional way out for all of us?

So many myths and lies come out of political mouths these days (especially, let's face it, from the leader of a party whose name rhymes with "Bepublican") it's hard to keep track. Then, they get reported by willing journalists who act as stenographers. The result is a doom-scroll narrative that hurts Democrats' ability to win and Republicans who want to defeat Donald Trump. Veteran radio host Matt McNeil has Matt Robison on to talk about some of the biggest ones going right now, and how to debunk them. MORE MATT MCNEIL: https://www.am950radio.com/events/the-matt-mcneil-show/

***Corrected to remove radio ad at the beginning*** More and more, we see elected officials in the Republican Party ignoring courts, ignoring votes, and setting up self-reinforcing rules to get what they want -- which usually includes keeping themselves in power. So what do we do when a major political party simply ignores our system of law and government?

More and more, we see elected officials in the Republican Party ignoring courts, ignoring votes, and setting up self-reinforcing rules to get what they want -- which usually includes keeping themselves in power. So what do we do when a major political party simply ignores our system of law and government?

Should the Trump trial be televised? Will we see a protective order? Why are Republicans rooting against the Barbie movie and the US World Cup team? And what is up with the Ohio Issue 1 referendum?

We were interviewing Kristy Parker - former federal prosecutor and current attorney at Protect Democracy - about the destruction of protections for our democratic system, when she carefully, methodically, and compellingly dismantled Donald Trump's main defenses in the election fraud/January 6 case. Also: we does it make sense to charge Trump under a statute intended to go after the KKK. And how can we reverse the assault on democracy in the US?

Matt joins legendary West Virginia radio host Howard Monroe on his radio show to talk about the big new set of Trump indictments, especially Matt's new article in Newsweek arguing "No, These Indictments Don't Strengthen Trump. That's Just Media Nonsense." Also, the Trump defenses, and what's the end game here?

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith just dropped four new charges on Donald Trump, indictments for conspiring to overturn American democracy and ultimately causing January 6. Former prosecutor and US Congressman Paul Hodes joins Matt Robison and Republican political consultant Alicia Preston to walk through the three biggest questions from the new charges: how strong are they, can Trump's defense work, and how will all of these mounting legal cases get done before the 2024 election? 0:00 The Charges 1:43 How Strong IS The Case? 4:44 Trump's Defense: Will It Work? 10:11 The Co-Conspirators 11:59 Why No Sedition Charge? 13:41 Republicans' Lame Response 15:50 Trump's Insane Response 18:13 Trump's Other Problem: Money 19:35 Can We Do ALL These Trials? 21:26 Can Trump Still Win?

No one likes money in politics. But the simple truth is, if you want to win and do the things that you believe in, you need to raise campaign cash. And one of the Democratic Party's top experts on how to do it, Josh Handelman, says, we shouldn't feel bad about that. We should embrace it. He also explains how things have changed int he past 17 years in campaigns, what works and what doesn't and Matt and Josh share some of their best secrets for being successful in campaigns.

Following Part One on the Ron DeSantis campaign catastrophe, Kartik Krishnaiyer, one the the nation's leading experts on Florida politics and proprietor of The Florida Squeeze and Matt Robison discuss whether a reboot is possible. ALSO: the biggest Senate race in the country that you probably should be paying more attention to. And another incredible, undemocratic, anti-democracy power grab. And if you want to see Kartik's book, check it out here. And come support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=7411781

When top elections analysts are asking whether your campaign is the worst in modern political history, you know things have gone south. And that's where things are for Ron DeSantis after a series of disasters, embarrassments, and acts of stubbornly clinging to insane positions. Kartik Krishnaiyer, one the the nation's leading experts on Florida politics and proprietor of The Florida Squeeze joins to walk through this monumental political disaster and what it means for the presidential race. And if you want to see Kartik's book, check it out here. And come support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ to see PART TWO of the video of this episode! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=7411781

It's time for another installment our most fun episode series on space, where we go WAY Beyond Politics. We welcome back UNH Observatory Director John Gianforte to talk about what the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered in it's first year, and run down the top five most mind-blowing images. Find the full video on our Patreon page here, and please support our work! Or if you want to pull up those images yourself, here they are: 5) James Webb Space Telescope time travels billions of years in amazing 3D visualization https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-3d-video-13-billion-year-journey 4) Neptune's rings https://www.planetary.org/space-images/neptunes-rings-2 3) James Webb Space Telescope celebrates 1st year of science with jaw-dropping view of cosmic nursery  https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-new-image-rho-ophiuchi-celebrate-year-science-july-12 2) Webb Detects Water Vapor in Rocky Planet-forming Zone  https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-1

Three under the radar stories from recent days suggest that Republicans are once again about to kneecap each other and leave a wide open path for Donald Trump. Also, disaster in Israel for democracy, an empty trying to get back to the top in New Hampshire, and what's with the death of sports sections?

The trump indictment three-peat is looming, and there are huge questions involved. Will this one matter politically and start to peal away Republicans? Can DeSantis make a surge off this? Is there a "David" strategy in this primary? AND, what does New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu declaring he won't run for re-election mean? IS he reconsidering challenging for the nomination?