Minneapolis v ICE, Trump v Powell, Iran Protests

Mike and Michael open with an update on events in Minneapolis in the wake of the killing of Renee Good. Michael emphasizes how polling shows broad public skepticism and frames the situation as a legitimacy crisis for ICE, while Mike argues the administration’s response reflects an entrenched us-versus-them mentality that treats protesters as enemies rather than citizens. Next, the guys pivot to the clash between President Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the Fed’s headquarters renovation and the resulting DOJ investigation. Michael lays out the cost overruns, subpoenas, and Republican unease about Fed independence, while Mike argues the overruns are routine for large infrastructure projects and sees the investigation as an unforced, politically motivated error that risks undermining monetary policy credibility. The guys close with a discussion of Iran’s nationwide protests and the Trump administration’s evolving response. Michael stresses the uncertainty of regime change and the risks of U.S. involvement appearing as external manipulation, while Mike argues that sanctions and kinetic pressure may have weakened the regime enough to make meaningful change more plausible, even as both acknowledge the danger of unintended consequences. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices