law

#T3BE 164 Full Question Text for Patrons

OA354: A Russian Asset Sues What?

Today's episode breaks down the (spoiler:  ridiculous) defamation lawsuit filed by Tulsi Gabbard against Hillary Clinton for calling her (sort of) a "Russian asset."  We do the patented Opening Arguments reading-the-complaint-backwards method (sort of) to figure out exactly what this means and what comes next.

We begin, however, with some instant response to the Saturday Republican "defense" of Trump in the impeachment proceedings.  It's... well, it's a thing.  Is Jay Sekulow still America's dumbest lawyer?  (H...

T3BE 163 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas nailed this one, correctly picking (A) -- I thought for sure he'd be distracted by (D) (which tempted me!).  Thomas is now on an improbable 4-question winning streak and is up to 54.6% (89-for-163)!

Q&A Open Thread

You know the drill:  post your questions here, and upvote with the heart the ones you most want to see answered.

OA353: Duplicity and Impeachment

Today's episode won't be a surprise; we're tackling all the developments in the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump, including a deep dive into the trial brief filed by his cadre of (terrible) lawyers that alleges a strange new legal defense:  "duplicity."  Figure out what it all means & why there's so much reason to hope on today's show!

We begin with a letter a listener received from Sen. Todd Young and a call to action to each of you to CALL YOUR SENATORS.  The Senate switchboard is (202) 224-312...

T3BE 163 - Full Question Text for Patrons

OA352: Phil Ferguson Explains the SECURE Act

Believe it or not, Congress apparently does occasionally pass laws still. One such law is the SECURE Act. The stated goals of the legislation involve trying to improve the retirement plans and options for Americans who are struggling to save enough. But was the legislation well-written or will there be unintended consequences? We've got Phil Ferguson of Polaris Financial Planning and host of the Phil Ferguson show to give us the breakdown!

#T3BE 162 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas nailed this one, picking (A), and is now 88-for-162 (54.3%).  Phil, sadly, got it wrong, and is now 1-for-2 (50%).

OA351: Who's the Next Justin Amash? Your Guide to Impeachment, Part XVIII (Feat. Lev Parnas)

Today's episode is one big Andrew Was Right!  As we predicted, the House transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate this week, and we unpack all of this week's news in connection with impeachment, including the new GAO report on the Impoundment Control Act, the testimony from Lev Parnas, and much, much more.  By the end of this super-sized episode, we'll also give your our predictions as to who might be a surprise profile in courage.  The answer WILL surprise you!

We begin 2020-01-17 04:34:34 +0000 UTC View Post

#T3BE 162 - All Coked Up

Full question text for patrons.

New Intro Quotes!

Post your candidates for new intro quotes!
Make sure to include a link to youtube or some other easily accessible audio version, preferably on the timestamp you're wanting. Realize they need to be short and decent quality to have any chance of making it. Alright good luck!

OA350: Interview with House Candidate Chris Armitage

Chris Armitage is running for the House in Washington's 5th District against Trump devotee Cathy McMorris Rodgers!

LAM37: The Pelican Brief

IT'S NOT A BRIEF. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT IT'S NOT EVEN A BRIEF. OMG. Plus the rest of the movie. 

#T3BE 161 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas nailed this one, picking (C), and avoiding the attractive distractor, (A).  He's now 87-for-161 (54.0%).

Bonus Episode on Iran!

Here's the extra bonus we promised you! As always, Andrew is terrible at lightning rounds so we might not have gotten to the quantity of questions that we'd hoped, but the quality is fantastic and as always, you'll learn a ton!

OA349: Bolton Will Testify; Iran, Soleimani & So Much More

Today's episode takes on (some of) the two biggest pending news stories right now:  (1) the U.S. assassination of Iranian Gen. Soleimani, and (2) the pending impeachment of President Trump.  Oh, and we also cover a bunch of other things along the way, including the latest CNN settlement regarding the kid from Covington Catholic, and, well, you'll just have to listen to find out everything!

We begin with a pre-show grab bag of mini-stories, including the "drain the swamp" news that outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry has join...

T3BE 161 Full Question Text for Patrons

Bonus Episode! Get Your Questions Answered!

Hey folks,

Even by Trump standards, the past few weeks have been... eventful. Also, it has been a while since we've put out a patron-only episode. So, we had the idea that we'd do a bonus show this week where Andrew answers all your questions relating to the assassination of Soleimani and the Iran conflict, etc. You better believe Listener Thomas S has some questions as well! So please post them here and upvote the ones you most want answered!

OA348: The State of the Secular States, with Alison Gill

Today's show features an interview with American Atheists’ National Legal and Policy Director Alison Gill! American Atheists has just released their 2019 State of the Secular States Report, which you can find here. With how much the Trump Administration and the Christian Right have tried to enshrine conservative Christianity into our nation's laws, American Atheists has worked hard to bring us this comprehensive report detailing which states have good laws in place to pro...

#T3BE 160 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas nailed this one, picking (B).  I also think (D) was the best wrong answer, even though the wrong answers are all terrible.  Thomas is now 86-for-160 (53.8%) and on a one-question win streak.

Fantasy Football Playoff Fun!

Hey folks, if you're someone who likes fantasy football and wants to join Andrew and I in a little postseason fun, we've got a fun contest to play!

Here's the game: The roster is 2 QBs, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Ks and 2 Ds.  The key is that you can't choose more than one player from any given team. So when your roster is done, you'll have exactly 12 players, 1 from each of the teams. The points for the entire postseason are all added together! So the key is to prioritize the good positions from the teams that you th...

OA347: Pennhurst and the Voter Purge in Georgia

Today's episode tackles a bunch of important developments in the new year -- and not all of them are even Trump-related!  Our main segment features a deep dive into the recent voter purge decision in Georgia and what that has to do with the Eleventh Amendment and the Pennhurst doctrine.  We also tackle the latest scare meme regarding 2020 and update you on all the developments in pending litigation regarding Donald Trump.  Buckle up, it's going to be a fun ride!

We begin with a quick off-the-white-board...

#T3BE 160 - Full Question Text for Patrons

OA346: Faithless Electors (w/Lawrence Lessig)

Today's episode features an in-depth interview with Prof. Lawrence Lessig, counsel for the Colorado faithless electors, about the electoral college system.

We also go through the answer to last week's #T3BE about the differences and similarities between burglary and larceny.  You won't want to miss it!

Appearances

None! If you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com.

-Support us on Pat...

#T3BE 159 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas got the answer right... after picking the wrong one, sadly.  He immediately remembered "breaking and entering with an intent to commit a felony" after picking (A), which of course means that the right answer is (C).  Thomas is now 85-for-159 (53.5%).

OA345: How John Roberts Saved Christmas (Or: Everything You Need to Know About Nixon v. US)

Happy Holidays, everyone!  Today, we tackle a number of issues that managed to distract us over the holidays regarding impeachment and do a deep dive into Nixon v. US -- all while weaving in a John-Roberts-as-the-Grinch-Who-Saved-the-Country-From-Mitch-McConnell story.  Can it happen?  Absolutely.  Will it?  We don't know.  Do you need to listen?  ABSOLUTELY.

We begin, however, with the recent filing by the lawyer for the House Judiciary Committee suggesting it might "impeach Donald Trump again." &nbs...

#T3BE 159 Full Question Text for Patrons

OA344: Did the Mormon Church Really Hide $100 Billion in Assets From the IRS? (Feat. Bryce Blankenagel)

Today's episode combines a deep dive into the IRS's tax exemptions with some breaking news about allegations made by a whistleblower that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (that is, the Mormon Church) has hidden over $100 billion in assets that should otherwise be taxed.  Grab some yarn and pushpins, and we'll try and disentangle this conspiracy together!

Joining us is the host of the Naked Mormonism and Glass Box podcasts, Bryce Blankenagel, who has first-hand knowledge of some of these events and has done ...

#T3BE 158 - Early Answer for Patrons

Thomas settled on (B) as his "no" answer and (D) as his "yes" answer before settling on "B" (albeit not with a lot of confidence).  He got it right, and is now 85-for-158 (53.8%) and on a two-question win streak!

OA343: The End of the ACA? (Also: Some Stuff About Impeachment)

Today's episode takes a deep dive into the recent 5th Circuit ruling you may have heard about that... is supposed to have declared the ACA unconstitutional?  How can that possibly be the case?  We break it all down for you.  Oh, and yeah, we also talk about the fact that the third president in American history has been impeached.

We begin, however, with an Andrew Was Wrong segment about the procedural history underlying the Syed appeal.

Then, it's time to break down the 5th Circuit's ACA opinion.  How...