PODCAST · news
The Politics Lab
by The Politics Lab
Politics isn’t always black and white. Dr. Bill Muck and Dr. Phil Barker, professors of political science and longtime friends, talk through the week’s news and discuss how political science might help make sense of things. In The Politics Lab, we put politics under the microscope.
Episodes
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Peace Prizes and Firing Squads
This week, Bill and Phil examine the war in Ukraine and the growing divisions over how to confront Putin. Then, they explore what Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize says about the state of international law and the claims of genocide in Gaza. And finally, they consider Pete Hegseth’s proposal to...
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The New Abnormal
This week, Bill and Phil ask how far America’s ethical lines have moved and whether political behavior that once generated outrage has simply become normalized. Then, they go global: from Germany and Brazil to India, what are elections around the world telling us about the state of democracy? And...
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Wait, Are We Doing Colonialism Again?
This week, Bill and Phil ask whether gunboat diplomacy is back. From the extraordinary story of Venezuelan gold being brought to the United States, to Trump’s escalating pressure on Cuba, has the administration embraced a neocolonial approach to American foreign policy? Then, with the midterm...
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Trump at the UN
This week, Bill and Phil unpack Trump's UN speech—from threats to annihilate Iran and claims to the spoils of war in Venezuela, to his attacks on Cuba and the International Criminal Court. What does it all mean for the future of the international order? Then, Trump's latest confrontation with the...
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AI and the End of the American Era?
This week, Bill and Phil explore the growing debate over the dangers of AI and whether regulation is the answer. Then, they ask an even bigger question: Is the American era coming to an end? From the war in Iran to a global economy increasingly looking beyond the United States, are we witnessing…
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Back in the Lab and Nothing Is Normal
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks and consider how that day changed American politics and the world. Then, after more than a month away from the lab, they take stock of an American political landscape that somehow seems even stranger than when...
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The Iran Quagmire
This week, Bill and Phil unpack the latest developments in the war with Iran, ask whether the world is witnessing the slow collapse of international justice, and explore why admitting you’re wrong has become one of the hardest things to do in modern politics.
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The Leaders We Choose
This week, Bill and Phil break down the drama in the U.S. Senate—from Graham Platner and Lindsey Graham to Mitch McConnell—examine the collapse of the ceasefire in Iran, and meet Binface, the man taking on Nigel Farage.
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America @ 250
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and then look 50 years into the future and speculate on what the American democracy might look like at its 300th anniversary.
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Brexit As A Warning
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the war in Iran, revisit the legacy of Brexit ten years later, and ask one very important question: What's more stupid—the reflecting pool conspiracy, an all you can eat Greenland shrimp strategy, or a cabinet obsessed with sauerkraut?
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Let’s Make a Deal
This week, Bill and Phil examine the proposed U.S.–Iran Memorandum of Understanding and explore what a UFC fight on the White House lawn might tell us about the changing norms of American democracy.
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A Path Forward?
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the latest developments in the Iran war and the prospects for peace. They then explore whether Democrats have a viable path back to electoral success before closing with a look at Trump’s controversial new compensation fund and what it says about corruption and...
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King Trump
This week, Bill and Phil dig into Trump’s king-like behavior and reflect on political violence in America.
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Fighting the Pope
This week, Bill and Phil take on Donald Trump’s escalating clash with the Pope—from social media provocations and questionable theology to a broader question about faith, power, and political messaging. They then turn to Hungary’s elections as a test of populism’s durability and close with a look...
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Iran War Fallout
This week, Bill and Phil break down the war in Iran—from the president’s stark warning about Iranian civilization, to the fragile prospects for a ceasefire, to the global backlash against U.S. actions, including the controversy involving threatening the Pope. They also explore a surprising twist:...
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A Predatory Hegemon
This week, Bill and Phil ask whether the United States is acting as a rogue state—or a predatory hegemon—shaking the foundations of the international system. They then turn to a conversation on Christian identity politics, examining how the administration is using religious language to frame its...
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The Political Absurdity Index
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on the second week of the military operation in Iran, introduce the new Politics Lab Political Absurdity Index to evaluate the administration’s rhetoric about the war, and close with a look at the Texas primary.
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War with Iran
This week, Bill and Phil examine the United States' preemptive invasion of Iran and discuss the fallout and implications of the operation.
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State of the Union 2026
This week, Bill and Phil sort through the longest State of the Union in American history, then discuss the largest buildup of American troops in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and whether it means war with Iran is likely.
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Our 250th!
This week, Bill and Phil breakdown Marco Rubio‘s big week of diplomacy, ponder whether George W. Bush was trolling Donald Trump in a recent essay about George Washington, and discuss whether Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito may soon retire.
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Speed Round Returns!
This week, Bill and Phil are heading into a speed round — quick hits on big topics: the 2026 midterms and election legitimacy, Trump’s latest social media controversy, the expiration of the last U.S.–Russia nuclear arms treaty, the pace of democratic backsliding, America’s declining soft power,...
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The Rupture
This week, Bill and Phil react to the escalation of political violence in Minneapolis and then discuss the rupture of the liberal international order in the aftermath of the World Economic Forum.
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A Return to Power Politics
This week, Bill and Phil discuss Trump’s return to Great Power politics - threats to Greenland, intervention in Venezuela, and potential regime change in Iran - then turn to the unrest in Minneapolis in response to ICE’s lethal tactics.
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2025 Year in Review
This week, Bill and Phil look back at the significance of 2025 and discuss the many ways that it broke precedents - both good and bad, and then make some predictions for 2026.
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Remaking National Security
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the release of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy and it’s claim that Europe is facing a civilization erasure and then play a new game we’re calling “This Week in Political Cringe”.
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Law, War, & Politics
This week, Bill and Phil explore the legality and political fallout from the Venezuelan boat strikes and then reflect on the state of Donald Trump’s agenda and what that means for the future of the Republican Party.
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2025 Turkey of the Year!
On this week’s episode, Bill and Phil celebrate Thanksgiving by handing out the highly coveted Turkey of the Year awards.
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Unreality
This week, Bill and Phil ponder whether political scandals matter anymore and then discuss George Orwell and whether Trump has created his own Orwellian version of 1984.
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Election Day 2025
This week, Bill and Phil sort through the results of the 2025 midterms and discuss whether they tell us anything useful about American democracy, consider the legacy of Dick Cheney, and play another round of “What’s More Stupid?”.
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Propaganda
This week, Bill and Phil ponder the metaphor of Trump tearing down part of the White House, return to the question propaganda and fascist politics in America, and then close with a new game we’re calling, “You’ve Got Hate Mail.”
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Discussing Democracy with Steven Levitsky
This week, Bill and Phil share and reflect on their interview with Political Scientist and Author of How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky.
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Crime, War, and the Use of Force
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on the deployment of the National Guard to blue cities across the country and then explore the difference between war and crime as it relates to Trump’s campaign against Venezuela.
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Forbearance
This week, Bill and Phil look at the indictment of James Comey, Trump‘s speech to gathered military leaders, and the government shut down, and breakdown the ways that each represents the erosion of democratic norms.
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The Elephant in the Newsroom
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the growing embrace of Christian nationalism in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death and then introduce a new game we’re calling, The Elephant in the Newsroom.
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Violence and Free Speech
This week, Bill and Phil talk through the aftermath and implications of the murder of Charlie Kirk.
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Trump’s Court
This week, Bill and Phil explore the growing divide between the federal district courts, which have been ruling against Trump, and the Supreme Court, which has largely ruled in Trump‘s favor. Then we introduce a new game that we’re calling “What’s More Authoritarian?”
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Crossing the Line
On this week’s episode, Bill and Phil discuss whether this was the week that the American democracy drifted over the line into authoritarianism.
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Getting Played
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on Trump’s high-stakes diplomatic meetings with Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders, and then ponder the effectiveness of Gavin Newsom‘s new social media strategy of trolling Donald Trump by imitating Donald Trump.
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It’s All Relative
This week, Bill and Phil dig into some of the bizarre and troubling actions of the Trump administration over the past week and then explore some of the deeper causal factors behind Trump’s success.
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The Firings Will Continue Until the Data Improves
This week, Bill and Phil take a moment to reflect on one of the most bizarre political weeks in recent memory, consider the implications of Trump’s decision to fire the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and close with a look at the situation in Gaza and news that Canada, Britain…
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Trump is Winning
This week, Bill and Phil wrestle with the fact that Trump seems to be winning his war to remake the world, then they play a game of “What’s More Stupid?: Corn Pop Mental Agility Standard Edition”
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80 Years of Nuclear Weapons
This week, Bill and Phil reflect on the 80th anniversary of the creation of nuclear weapons, then ponder what history and historical analogies can teach us about our modern world.
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Conspiracy Theories Strike Back
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the ways that the Epstein case is turning Trump’s supporters against him, then dig into the curious (and troubling) phenomenon of American political institutions ceding power to the Presidency.
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The Future of the Democratic Party
This week, Bill and Phil break down the Supreme Courts ruling on birthright citizenship and then think through the future of the Democratic Party on the one year anniversary of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate.
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Trump’s Iranian Gamble
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the significance and implications of the US bombing of Iran and then assess the results of the recent New York City mayoral race.
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War in the Middle East
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the expanding war between Israel, Iran and (possibly?) the United States; consider the growing prominence of political violence in American society; and grade Donald Trump’s birthday parade.
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The “Liberation” of L.A.
This week, Bill and Phil offer a big picture assessment of Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, then reflect on Elon and Trump's drama-filled breakup.
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A Parade of Stupidity
This week, Bill and Phil discuss whether Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Russia and Putin is significant and then dive into some recent news stories to decide “What’s More Stupid?”.
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An Amoral Approach?
This week, Bill and Phil debate whether Donald Trump has taken an amoral approach to American Foreign Policy and walk through the implications for global politics.
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Moving Forward
This week, Bill and Phil discuss how to know when our democracy has failed, then talk with Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin about what we can be doing today to push back against Trump’s attacks on democracy.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Politics isn’t always black and white. Dr. Bill Muck and Dr. Phil Barker, professors of political science and longtime friends, talk through the week’s news and discuss how political science might help make sense of things. In The Politics Lab, we put politics under the microscope.
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The Politics Lab
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Politics Lab have?
The Politics Lab currently has 273 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Politics Lab about?
Politics isn’t always black and white. Dr. Bill Muck and Dr. Phil Barker, professors of political science and longtime friends, talk through the week’s news and discuss how political science might help make sense of things. In The Politics Lab, we put politics under the microscope.
How often does The Politics Lab release new episodes?
The Politics Lab publishes regularly with 273 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Politics Lab?
You can listen to The Politics Lab on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Politics Lab?
The Politics Lab is created and hosted by The Politics Lab.
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