Off The Record With Paul Hodes

After a major standoff, Trump and Biden have agreed to two presidential debates. Did Biden win this exchange? And how much does it really matter? Also, a quick breakdown of Michael Cohen's testimony, and the question of whether Trump's political defenses in the hush money trial are actually kind of working. Plus, a very weird New York Times poll from this week and a continued run of voting results that Donald Trump should be finding downright scary. Plus, our closing segment has snakes on a plane. No, really. And we closed with snakes on a plane. No, literally. I mean, it. Snakes on a plane, 00:00 Opening Remarks: The Role of Debates in Politics 00:46 Debating the Debates: Trump vs. Biden 02:27 The Circus of Presidential Debates 04:26 Breaking Tradition: The New Debate Format 06:19 The Argument Against Debates 10:53 Character and Policy in Debates 17:02 Strategic Analysis: Biden vs. Trump Debate Dynamics 19:29 Trump's Debate Strategy and Poll Analysis 20:16 Breaking Down Trump's Legal Chall