Off The Record With Paul Hodes

Tune in to this week's podcast where Mike Morton and I discuss how to stay organized while estate planning. Make sure to follow the correct process so that your heirs aren't left cleaning up a mess.

Does Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson not have a bank account? It seems like the answer might be no, and whatever is going on, it only leads to more disturbing questions. Guest Roger Sollenberger, Senior Political Reporter with The Daily Beast, shares insights into a story he broke. 00:01 Why does the most powerful Republican in America seem to have no bank account?...01:48 Comparing Johnson's Finances with Other Politicians...02:37 Exploring Possible Reasons for Johnson's Financial Status... Implications of Johnson's Financial Status on His Political Position....17:00 How did he find this story?

New House Speaker Mike Johnson literally believes that people rode dinosaurs onto Noah's Ark. Really. But that may not even be the most out-there thing about him. Matt, Paul, and Alicia dive in to the deep right-wing craziness of the man who is second in line to the Presidency. Also, can Republicans pay for Israel support...with a tax CUT? (12:44) Will the investigation into Clarence Thomas go anywhere? (17:06)? Does Dean Phillips run for the Dem nomination matter? (23:49) Will Santos get kicked out of the House, and will Tlaib get censured? (30:48)

Could Donald Trump walk right back into the White House again? It looks like the answer is, yes. No Labels has $70 million, they're on the ballot in key states, and they just shifted to a new plan that could easily spoil the 2024 election by making it impossible for President Joe Biden to win enough states. No Labels thinks it would then be in a position to have more influence over who wins. But the reality could be much worse.

What if I told you that you could be paying thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes every year on your savings? You might think I have some savvy financial trick up my sleeve to save you from Uncle Sam, but the opposite is actually true. In this episode, it’s all about the basics. Basic account types, that is: The Three Musketeers: Taxable, Tax Deferred, and Tax Free

For months, the eyes of the political and legal world have been on Georgia, ever since Donald Trump and eighteen alleged co-conspirators were indicted in Fulton County under the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis is aiming to prove that there was collusion to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election. The past week has seen a dramatic turn in the case as three of Trump’s former attorneys have plead guilty in rapid succession. To get a handle on what that might mean, we welcome back one of America’s sharpest legal minds, Barbara McQuade, a professor at Michigan Law, former US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, well known as legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She is also part of the Sisters-in-Law podcast featuring Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr.

Matt Robison joins radio host Matt McNeil to talk about his recent Newsweek article laying out the horrible sequence at the New York Times that may have cost the Times credibility, cost Israel support, and cost lives. The Times has now issued a non-apology apology, and the episode raises questions about what is driving mainstream media to behave this way, and what it will mean if they are falling prey to pressures from extreme voices that undermine their function in America.

After a third Trump attorney, Jenna Ellis, pled guilty in the Georgia Trump election interference case, the immediate question became: is the wall around Trump crumbling? And is the entire Republican Party descending into an incoherent melee?

The way we communicate in political campaigns, and American politics overall, has changed radically. New media platforms, a fractured media landscape, and innovative techniques for getting political messages across have created opportunities for mischief, misinformation, and misdirection -- along with genuine ways to politicians to engage with voters. Now, artificial intelligence may scramble things even further. Matthew Krayton joins the show to talk about this new environment. He is an accomplished political operative and campaign consultant who specializes in the brave new world of "digital media."

This week Mike Morton and I put the Traditional 401k and the Roth 401k in a head-to-head battle of the retirement accounts. If you’ve been following this podcast for a while, you are well aware of what a 401k account is a tax-advantaged way to help fund your retirement. Just in case you need a refresher, a 401k, or 401(k), is a retirement savings plan offered by many employers in the United States. It’s a valuable tool that allows you to save for your retirement while enjoying potential tax benefits. There are two types of these accounts, a Traditional and a Roth. Which is right for you? Follow the fight to find out.

He's the man who engineered the right wing takeover of the courts. He's sitting on a $1. 6 billion slush fund, and now he says he's coming for the rest of American politics and culture. You may have heard the name Leonard Leo, but you may not know the full impact of what he's done, or the remarkable backstory of his rise to becoming one of the most powerful people in America. Our guest is Andy Kroll, an investigative reporter for ProPublica, where he covers voting elections, the courts and other democracy issues. He was part of a team that wrote the definitive investigation of Leo, He's also the author of the book, A Death on W Street, the murder of Seth Rich and the age of conspiracy.

How mainstream media rushed into a false narrative about the Gaza hospital explosion. Should Joe Biden have gone to Israel? Will an insurrectionist leader become Speaker of the House? What effect will the Trump gag order have?

If you're intrigued by the idea of making the most of your 529 accounts, I have just the podcast for you. This week Mike Morton and I discuss three advanced strategies that can help you get the most out of these versatile financial tools.

In the last 15 years, Republicans have successfully, and quietly, the grabbed a hold on key offices at the state and local level -- often uncontested -- that make critical decisions about Americans' day to day lives. Amanda Litman runs Run for Something, an organization that is working to beat back that tide. And she joins us with some surprisingly good news...it's working.

As we begin to think ahead to the coming days and weeks of war between Israel and Hamas, are there already signs of divisions forming in the US? Democrats are dealing with a long-simmering division on the left about Israel policy, while increasing numbers of Republicans are offering the false choice between Israel and Ukraine. Also: Scalise or Jordan, which is worse? And who does RFK Jr. hurt more, Biden or Trump?

October 7 has been called Israel's 9/11. There are a few people on Earth that are better able to talk about what's happening now and what may happen next than Dan Perry, former lead reporter for the Associated Press for the Middle East, who is based in Tel Aviv and joins us from the middle of the crisis.

Join Mike Morton and I this week as we discusses 529 to Roth IRA contributions and how you can use it to benefit the financial aspect of your life.

Congressman Jamie Raskin, one of the most capable, incisive, and brilliant members of Congress serving today, joins the show. We wanted to know, now that Kevin McCarthy has been removed as Speaker of the House, what was the real reason Democrats didn't try to save him (1:29)? Is there really a hard-right fringe, or is the fringe actually the real core of the Republican Party today (9:34)? What happened at that infamous impeachment inquiry hearing last week when Raskin tore apart the Republican argument and laid bare the real agenda behind what was happening (12:36)? What did he see on the Jan 6 committee that hasn't shown up in the indictments of Trump and his co-conspirators (20:11)?

Right wing nuts (i.e. Matt Gaetz) are trying to take down the most powerful Republican in America, Kevin McCarthy, who just pulled off a shocking 11th hour deal to prevent a government shutdown, while Donald Trump goes on unhinged rants about his financial and legal world collapsing around him. And the biggest story might be...Taylor Swift?

Kevin McCarthy maneuvering to try to save his speaker-ship against a Matt Gaetz-led charge to remove him after the surprise weekend deal for a continuing resolution that's keeping the government open. Democrats are trying to figure out whether can they cut a deal here to gain themselves more power and to get rid of this impeachment inquiry. Republicans are scrambling to figure out whether Gaetz actually has the votes to actually remove Kevin McCarthy? And is there an alternative if they do manage to get rid of them? Matt Robison and Cliff Schecter quickly hit all the key points on what everyone is thinking and where this could be heading.