3 chapters across the catalog
Huma Abedin, Special Government Employees and State Department Ethics
ProPublica requests the names of "Special Government Employees" (SGEs) at the State Department who receive outside corporate income. The focus is on Huma Abedin, who reportedly worked for a private consultancy while serving as Hillary Clinton's "body man." The hosts criticize the SGE category as a mechanism for "double dipping" and insider enrichment.
Wisconsin Senate Protests and Union Collective Bargaining
Protests erupted at the state senate in Madison, Wisconsin, following Republican efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state employees, including teachers. The scale of the demonstrations is compared to Tahrir Square, though media portrayals are criticized for underrepresenting the crowd size. The situation is framed as a significant conflict between state workers and the newly elected Republican administration.
California faces a $42 billion budget shortfall, leading Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to implement mandatory furloughs for 200,000 state employees. The hosts discuss the closure of state offices, including the DMV, and the potential for panic if welfare and unemployment checks are delayed. They note that many other US states are facing similar fiscal emergencies.
