Topic: State Government

President Trump criticized FEMA as a "disaster," arguing that state governments are better equipped to handle local emergencies without federal bureaucracy. He proposed paying disaster relief funds directly to states rather than through the agency. The hosts discuss the history of FEMA's failures in Louisiana and Texas and the potential elimination of FEMA regions.

The CDC's power to halt evictions is based on the theory that homelessness facilitates the spread of disease. However, less than 2% of the $47 billion set aside for landlord relief has been distributed. Analysts suggest the funds are being held up by complex bureaucracy, privacy concerns for landlords, or potential local-level corruption and theft.

Senator Rand Paul highlights a specific instance of government waste involving $850,000 given to a for-profit Afghan television station to develop a national cricket league. Paul questions why US taxpayer money is being used to fund sports in foreign countries while domestic needs remain.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested President Trump postpone the State of the Union address due to security concerns during the government shutdown. Trump responded by accusing Pelosi of being afraid of the truth. Meanwhile, House Democrats like James Clyburn suggested allocating $5.7 billion for "smart wall" technology and immigration judges rather than physical wall construction.

In an interview with Politico, President Barack Obama claimed that Hillary Clinton is more experienced than any non-Vice President who has ever sought the office. The hosts challenge this assertion, questioning what Clinton has actually "governed," noting that being a Senator or Secretary of State are legislative and administrative roles rather than executive governing positions.

The Strong Cities Network (SCN), funded by the U.S. State Department, aims to connect local authorities in cities like Denver, Atlanta, and London to share practices for preventing violent extremism. The network facilitates workshops and training seminars to strengthen community cohesion and security. The hosts characterize the initiative as a "money grab" and a potential tool for managing political dissent at the municipal level.

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.

Hillary Clinton promoted a new "Foreign Assistance Dashboard" website intended to provide transparency for government spending. However, the hosts discover during the broadcast that the URL foreignassistance.gov is non-functional and leads to a "server not found" error. They question Clinton's claims regarding the percentage of the US budget allocated to foreign development.

A listener from Dallas, Texas, discovered $54.12 in unclaimed property from a previous energy provider and donated the proceeds to the show. This prompts the hosts to encourage all listeners to search their respective state databases for forgotten funds. Adam Curry attempts to search the New Jersey database during the show, leading to a discussion on the legitimacy of these state-run sites.

Montana is passing laws to assert state and county authority over the federal government, potentially leading to a Supreme Court case on the Tenth Amendment. The hosts predict that Montana might soon see its own "Al-Qaeda" incident as a result of this defiance.

The European Union's pledge of eight billion euros to Africa is criticized as a "global takeover" facilitated by the Lisbon Treaty. The hosts react to a UN official's warning that failure to reach a climate deal would blow the "nation-state system," interpreting it as a move toward a unified global government.