Topic: Interstate System

President Biden's speeches have occasionally conflated the 1950s Interstate Highway System with older "original" highways like Route 66. The interstate system, championed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, was designed with a military component to allow for the rapid movement of troops and the landing of aircraft. This historical precedent for infrastructure as a tool of national security was compared to Napoleon III's redesign of Paris streets.

The hosts discuss the state of US infrastructure, noting that Southern states often have better roads due to "pork barrel" projects. They criticize the "Carmageddon" event in Los Angeles as a scam where contractors received millions in bonuses for finishing a job quickly that was intentionally over-scheduled.