An American Pope, Tariffs, Self-Deportation, HHS Lawsuit

Mike and Ken open with a discussion of something lapsed-Catholic Mike thought he’d never see - an American Pope. While Pope Leo is unlikely to be as progressive as his predecessor, he’s no ultra-conservative who has said some critical things about Vice President Vance in the past. Then they turn to tariffs: the just-announced agreement between the US and the UK, if and when more agreements may be forthcoming, the economic damage that’s almost certain even if deals start pouring in, and a strange proposal for a 100% tariff on movies made in ‘foreign lands’. Next is a look at the Trump administration’s plan to pay undocumented migrants $1,000 to self-deport. Both Mike and Ken are skeptical that anyone will end up getting paid to leave the country, and Ken questions the President’s legal authority for the policy. They close with a discussion of the lawsuit challenging major cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services brought by 19 states and the District of Columbia.  The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Mike’s Substack: What Fresh Hell is This? 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/adchoicesThe Politics Guys on Facebook | XListener 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.