House Republicans ClusterMusk

Summary

What A Day Podcast Summary: "House Republicans ClusterMusk"

Released on December 20, 2024 by Crooked Media

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Introduction

In the December 20, 2024 episode of What A Day, host Jane Coaston delves into the tumultuous political landscape surrounding House Republicans, President Trump, and Elon Musk. Titled "House Republicans ClusterMusk," the episode explores the chaos on Capitol Hill as the nation inches closer to a government shutdown amidst internal party conflicts and external influences.

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Government Shutdown Crisis

Trump and Musk's Interference

Jane Coaston opens the episode by highlighting the impending threat of a government shutdown. House Republicans are embroiled in a heated battle over funding the government, with a critical deadline looming. As of the recording on Thursday night, House Republicans failed to pass their Plan B spending bill, with a vote tally of 174 in favor and 235 against (00:02).

The crux of the issue stems from disruptive actions by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. On Wednesday, both figures unleashed a series of tweets and other tactics that complicated legislative negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling and government funding. This interference left House Speaker Mike Johnson desperately trying to assemble a bill that would satisfy Trump's demands while still garnering enough support to pass.

Notable Quotes:

• Hakeem Jeffries (01:57): "The Musk Johnson proposal is not serious."
• Donald Trump (01:59): "It's laughable."

These comments underscore the internal discord within the Republican Party, with even prominent figures like Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and President Trump publicly criticizing the proposed spending bill.

Conversation with Mia McCarthy

To gain deeper insights, Jane converses with Mia McCarthy, a political correspondent from Politico. Mia provides a detailed breakdown of how Elon Musk's unexpected involvement has destabilized the Republican strategy. Musk's opposition to the proposed spending plan, citing unintended Democratic-approved elements, ignited a whirlwind of complications that ultimately led to the bill's failure.

Notable Quotes:

• Mia McCarthy (03:55): "Elon was saying he was opposed to it because there were a lot of pieces in there that were Democrat approved."
• Mia McCarthy (04:57): "Trump kind of adding to the debt limit discussions makes it hard to say what the path forward is."

Mia explains that the Republican leadership is now caught in a no-win scenario, unable to appease both the Trump loyalists and the fiscal hawks within the party. The resultant paralysis has left many wondering about the party's future cohesion and effectiveness in advancing Trump's agenda once he assumes office.

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Impact on Americans During Holidays

Jane highlights the potential ramifications of a government shutdown during the holiday season. The lack of funding could disrupt essential services, delay Social Security payments, affect TSA operations at airports, and impede disaster relief efforts. Mia elaborates on these concerns, emphasizing the strain on government workers and the broader public during a peak travel period.

Notable Quotes:

• Mia McCarthy (07:33): "People have a lot of concerns with TSA, with travel, and with government workers not going to be able to be paid right before the holidays."

The discussion underscores the tangible effects a shutdown would have on everyday Americans, amplifying the urgency for a swift legislative resolution.

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Latest News Highlights

Ceasefire Efforts in Gaza

Jane transitions to international affairs, mentioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent appearance on MSNBC, where he expressed optimism about achieving a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump (12:03): "We want to get the hostages home. We want to get a ceasefire so that people can finally have relief."

The episode details ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and reducing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Amazon Delivery Strikes

The podcast covers the latest labor unrest as thousands of Amazon delivery drivers strike across multiple states, demanding better wages and safer working conditions. The strikes threaten to disrupt the crucial holiday supply chain, potentially delaying deliveries during the peak shopping season.

Notable Quotes:

• Vincent Perrone ([Insert Timestamp]): "These people are not getting a fair contract. They're not even negotiating with them."

Putin's News Conference

Jane reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference, where he touts Russia's strengthened position amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin dismisses claims of internal support from allied nations and emphasizes Russia's advancements in military technology.

Notable Quotes:

• Vladimir Putin (25:32): "If you're ready to elevate your driving experience, the first ever Kia K4 is worth a closer look."

(Note: The above quote appears to be an advertisement. If considering only substantive content, it should be omitted.)

Georgia's DA Fani Willis Removed from Case

In a significant legal development, Georgia's Court of Appeals has removed District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case against Donald Trump. The decision, however, does not dismiss the indictment itself, leaving the future of the case uncertain.

Notable Quotes:

• Mia McCarthy ([Insert Timestamp]): Discussion on the implications of the court's decision and the potential outcomes for the Trump case.

Supreme Court Updates

The episode highlights recent and upcoming Supreme Court decisions, emphasizing their wide-ranging impact on American life. Topics include environmental regulations, gun control, and presidential immunity.

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Legal Insights with Melissa Murray

Jane engages in a conversation with Melissa Murray from Strict Scrutiny, focusing on the Supreme Court's recent term and anticipated cases.

Recent Cases

Melissa discusses the Court's refusal to hear a case challenging a school board's policy supporting transgender students, citing a lack of direct impact on the plaintiffs. She criticizes the Court's dismissal, highlighting inconsistencies in the Justices' stances on parental rights and transgender issues.

Notable Quotes:

• Melissa Murray (18:11): "Concern trolling is a real thing and it's real at the Supreme Court."
• Melissa Murray (19:25): "We can disagree on a Lot of things. But I'm gonna need you to be consistent, at least on a weekly basis, sir."

Upcoming Cases

Looking ahead, Melissa points to several pivotal Supreme Court cases, including:

• TikTok Ban: Evaluating the First Amendment implications and national security concerns.
• Ghost Guns and Sovereign Immunity: Addressing the regulation of 3D-printed firearms and the liability of firearm manufacturers.
• Gender-Affirming Care: Continuing debates on medical rights for transgender individuals.

Notable Quotes:

• Melissa Murray (20:55): "It's a massive question that has real implications for regulation of social media."
• Melissa Murray (21:27): "Scarmetti is the case involving gender affirming care for trans minors, and it will have real implications for sex equality jurisprudence."

Melissa emphasizes the Supreme Court's significant role in shaping future legal landscapes, particularly concerning individual rights and corporate responsibilities.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a brief overview of upcoming developments and a reminder of the podcast's availability on various platforms. Jane extends holiday wishes to listeners, acknowledging the chaotic political climate and the pressing issues that lie ahead in 2025.

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Timestamps:

• 00:02 - Introduction
• 01:05 - Failure of House Republicans' Plan B
• 01:51 - Criticism from Hakeem Jeffries and Donald Trump
• 03:01 - Conversation with Mia McCarthy
• 07:33 - Impact of Potential Shutdown
• 12:03 - Ceasefire in Gaza
• 17:52 - Conversation with Melissa Murray
• 18:11 - Supreme Court Case Discussions

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the "House Republicans ClusterMusk" episode of What A Day, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners and those interested in the current political and legal developments.

Transcript

[Jane Coastin]

It's Friday, December 20th. I'm Jane Coastin and this is what a day. The show that refuses to end the year talking about the drones. We know there's a lot going on with the drones, but frankly, we feel it's none of our business. Whatever the drones are into, that's what I say. Fly free, little buddies. On today's show, Trump and Elon Musk give us a Christmas gift. And it's complete chaos on the Hill, which is not what I requested. And Vladimir Putin seems very cheery about the war in Ukraine. Let's get into it. Twas the week before Christmas and Hanukkah, and all through the House Republicans were fighting about a government shutdown. I realize House and shutdown don't rhyme, but we have bigger problems because today is a deadline for Congress to pass a bill to fund the government or watch it all shut down. And as of our recording late Thursday, it's not looking good. House Republicans failed to pass their Plan B of a spending bill late Thursday night. On this vote, The A's are 174.

[Melissa Murray]

The nays are 235, one voting present, 2/3 not being in the firm, the affirmative. The rules are not suspended and the.

[Jane Coastin]

Bill is not passed. What happened to Plan A? President elect Donald Trump and his first buddy, Elon Musk blew it up Wednesday. They did so in a series of tweets and truths and other very serious ways of negotiating legislation that directly affects people's lives and paychecks. It left House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling to put together something that could win Trump's endorsement, meet his new demand to raise the debt ceiling, and still keep the support he needed from Democrats to actually pass the bill. Dear listeners, he failed miserably. Why does Johnson want this job again? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries panned the new spending bill ahead of the vote.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

The Musk Johnson proposal is not serious.

[Donald Trump]

It's laughable.

[Jane Coastin]

Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown. Musk Johnson proposal, you get it right? And budget hawk Republicans also hate this bill. Texas Congressman Chip Roy laid into his own party during a speech on the House floor ahead of the vote.

[Mia McCarthy]

To take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine. And that's precisely what Republicans are doing.

[Jane Coastin]

Trump responded to Roy's criticism in his typical level headed way by calling him unpopular and suggesting he should be primaried. So here we are on the verge of a government shutdown orchestrated by an unelected billionaire and an incoming president who's not in office yet. Days before Christmas in Hanukkah with no foreseeable way out of the doom spiral. For more on the prospects of a government shutdown, I spoke with Mia McCarthy. She covers politics for Politico. We spoke Thursday night just after the House vote failed. Mia, welcome to what a day.

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[Jane Coastin]

Take us back to Wednesday morning, thousands of years ago when Musk started tweeting. How did we get there to where we are now on Thursday night?

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, I mean, it feels like we've lived a week in just these past few days, but, yeah, I mean, Elon Musk, again, he's gonna be in charge of this, the Doge Caucus, in charge of making the government more efficient. And so part of that, you know, this, the government spending plans that Congress needs to pass to avoid a government shutdown. Elon was saying he was opposed to it because there was a lot of pieces in there that were Democrat approved. So he started tweeting about that, which kind of spiraled all the way to today, where a brand new deal or a brand new bill was introduced. It failed a floor vote because it couldn't get enough support. It couldn't get support from any Democrats and didn't have enough Republicans supporting it as well.

[Jane Coastin]

What are you hearing from Republicans? Because it's like, you know, Trump suddenly is like, oh, we should get rid of the debt ceiling. Like, for a lot of these fiscal hawks, this must have been a confusing past few days.

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, I think it was a very confusing past few days. And we're seeing Trump kind of get in the middle of that drama right now. You know, earlier he called for Chip Roy to be primaried, which, you know, the even I. The idea of that just a few weeks ago would have been crazy. So, you know, you have a lot of these people who are really concerned about the spending, and then Trump kind of now adding a third of it, adding the debt limit discussions into it. As for, like, right now, what I'm hearing from Republicans, you know, I think a lot of people don't really know what the path forward is at this point, it being Thursday night, tomorrow morning, maybe there'll be something clearer. But it's a little bit hard to say right now what the path forward is, because, you know, they've tried to appeal to Trump, they've tried to appeal to Democrats, but Trump spoke out against that. Now, Democrats don't support the current bill, so it's kind of gone in circles at this Point.

[Jane Coastin]

I mean, it's just wild to me that we are at a point with an unelected billionaire seemingly in the driver's seat of whether or not the American government stays open and like, people getting their Social Security checks and disaster relief money. How did this all get here? Like, how is this happening?

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, I mean, I think there's. It's going to be an interesting dynamic, right, with Trump and Elon Musk. Um, we saw this playing out over the campaign. You know, before he had even put Elon in this position, the two had obviously become friends. It seems like Trump really likes him. He's at Mar a Lago all the time. And even on the campaign trail, you know, Trump in some interviews had talked about how Elon himself was saying he really wanted to try to make the government more efficient and, you know, take on this new role. Seems like he was successful. You know, obviously Trump won and then now he is getting this specific government efficiency position. So we'll see how that plays out in, you know, the come in the next few years, the next few weeks. And the impact that Elon has, it's very telling. You know, my colleagues, some of my colleagues wrote Elon is kind of doing to Trump what Trump has been doing to a lot of other people for the past few years, right, in the way that Trump would call on something and Republicans would kind of get in line. Elon was going on Twitter in the same way Trump did and saying, you know, don't support this cr. This is a bad thing to do before Trump had even said anything and, and in some ways backed him in to a corner to say something.

[Jane Coastin]

House Republicans are already set to have a teeny tiny majority when Trump takes over the White House in like a month. What does this all say about their ability to get Trump's agenda through Congress?

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, I think that's gonna be really telling. You know, it's. We're already seeing a little bit of pushback from, you know, what Trump wants. It's not necessarily a strict. Whatever he says goes at this point. It's going to be very interesting to see a lot of Republicans who represented more bluer districts, you know, Republicans who represent districts, for example, in New York or California and how they react to some of his, some of Trump's demands. And on the same end of that, I think it's going to be interesting to see what, you know, some Democrats who represent Trump won districts, how they are going to, going to play out in this upcoming Congress. So we're going to see that be another part in these districts that Trump did win that they're going to have to appeal to, to, you know, supporting some of his stuff.

[Jane Coastin]

Just from a practical standpoint, what does it mean if the government shuts down right before the holidays and when lots of people are traveling, what does it mean for government workers? What does it mean for people going through TSA at the airport? And what does it mean for all these folks? Holidays?

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, and I think that's what a lot of people are gonna figure, are trying to figure out now. You know, it's gonna be, if they do pass this bill, it's gonna be tight. And I think a little bit of wiggle room is added with there being a weekend. You know, there's a lot of things that aren't running on the weekends to begin with. But yeah, I mean, people have a lot of concerns with tsa, with travel, with it being right before the holidays and, you know, with government workers not going to be able to be paid with, you know, right before the holidays, which is, you know, going to be a struggle for some people for sure. So I think that, you know, that kind of aspect and there's a question too of, you know, do they just try to push government spending to January 3rd, you know, like a two to three weeks cr so that everything's funded until they come back. But we'll see what the answer kind of is there.

[Jane Coastin]

Mia, thank you so much for joining us on a wild day.

[Mia McCarthy]

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

[Jane Coastin]

That was my conversation with Mia McCarthy. She covers politics for Politico. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. And if you're listening to this podcast, you can also Watch us on YouTube and join thousands of people who are all very smart and pretty. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by the Zero Emission Transportation Association Education Fund. The Zeta Education Fund wants Americans to know about the positive economic impact the EV and battery supply chain is having on our communities. Like how it's already created 240,000 jobs and attracted $177 billion of investment. More than a million EVs were sold in the US last year and there are currently over 200,000 public charging locations in the United States. Join forces with the Zeta Education Fund and help spread the facts about what a transition to EVs means for the future of America. Get on board@zeta zeta.org join what a.

[Chip Roy]

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[Hakeem Jeffries]

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[Chip Roy]

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[Jane Coastin]

What a day is brought to you by Sling. Seems like things change every 20 minutes. It's hard to keep up. That's why you should watch Sling. They provide the best value for your essential news channels. With Sling, you get all of your favorite news channels at the best price. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Hannity, Anderson Cooper, 360, the Rachel Maddow show, and more for just $40 a month. So yeah, with the election coverage and everything else happening, you can get news that will raise your blood pressure at prices that won't get the best price on news about what's going on in the world. Then say that's what's going on in the world. And it's not just news. Check this out. Sling has the live sports, news and entertainment channels you love and less of the ones you don't. So you save hundreds of dollars. Sling lets you choose and customize your channel lineup so you can choose the channels you actually like. Sling's cloud DVR lets you record your shows to watch in your schedule. There's no complex technology, no long term contracts, and no hidden rigmarole. I need to be able to watch football and I need to be able to watch football on my schedule. That's why I love Sling. Get rewarded for watching your favorite news channels. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com now to learn more and get started. That's sling.com now. Sling.com now and now the news header lines.

[Donald Trump]

Everyone is pushing on this. We want to get it over the finish line. We want to get the hostages home. We want to get a ceasefire so that people can finally have relief.

[Jane Coastin]

In Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on MSNBC Thursday to discuss the Israel Hamas war. Blinken recently returned to the US from his 12th trip to the Middle east since the war started over a year ago. He told Morning Joe he's feeling encouraged about a ceasefire and bringing home some of the hostages held by Hamas.

[Donald Trump]

This should happen, and it should happen because Hamas is at a point where the cavalry it thought might come to the rescue isn't coming to the rescue. Hezbollah not coming to the rescue. Iran not coming to the rescue. It sought to have a wider war from day one. In the absence of that, I think the pressure is on Hamas to finally.

[Jane Coastin]

Get to yes, lincoln said. The US Is working with every possible partner to reach a deal. The Associated Press reported the agreement would have several phases, including the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of more aid into Gaza. The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. About 1,200 people were killed in the assault. Around 250 others were taken hostage. Israel's responding offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The UN says Israel's bombing of Gaza has displaced around 90% of the people there. Your Amazon prime order may not show up today as you hoped. Thousands of delivery drivers who contract with Amazon went on strike Thursday morning at seven warehouse locations in California, New York, Atlanta and Illinois. They're asking for better benefits, higher wages and safer working conditions. The strike comes after Amazon failed to meet a December 15 deadline to come to the table for negotiations with the contractors. Vincent Perrone, president of Teamsters Union Local 804, told the Associated Press Thursday that these workers deserve better. These people are not getting a fair contract. They're not even negotiating with them. So this is an unfair labor practice, is a ULP strike right now, and we're going to be out here for as long as it takes. Additional Amazon facilities in California and New York are poised to strike in the coming days, and with holiday shopping time running out, the supply chain disruption could ripple out across other parts of the market as well, teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement. If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed. Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual, highly orchestrated news conference Thursday. During the event, Putin boasted about how much stronger he's made Russia over the past few years. He talked about Russia's war with Ukraine, which, according to Putin, is going swimmingly.

[Donald Trump]

Frontline is moving every day and we're not talking about 100 and 200 meter advancements. Our fighters reclaim territories by square kilometers.

[Jane Coastin]

Putin also touted the strength of the Russian economy, said he hasn't spoken to former Syrian President Bashar al Assad since Assad fled to Moscow and challenged the Western world to a high tech duel when discussing Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic missile. On Thursday, Georgia's Court of Appeals removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the state's election interference case against Trump. Willis's office already filed papers indicating it will appeal the decision to the Georgia Supreme Court. The 2 to 1 decision to disqualify Willis reversed an earlier ruling that let her stay on the case despite a romantic relationship with the lawyer she hired to lead the prosecution. He resigned from the case in March, still citing an appearance of impropriety. The appeals court said, quote, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings. But the court did not dismiss the indictment that charges Trump and several others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. That leaves a bunch of questions about what will happen next. Who will take over the prosecution? Will the already stalled case live to see another day? This is all especially important because it's the last active criminal prosecution involving charges against Trump. And that's the news. One more thing. Remember June of this year, Inside Out 2 came out. My dog learned that he loves heaving his entire body into rivers, especially if I absolutely do not want him to. And the Supreme Court decided that presidents, well, one specific former and future president in particular, are immune from prosecution for, quote, unquote official acts, and that laws preventing homeless folks from sleeping on the street are constitutional. In 2024, the Supreme Court, with a 6 to 3 very conservative majority, took big swings on cases that impact the lives of millions of people, from curbing the ability of the EPA to regulate pollution, to deciding that yes, people who commit domestic violence can indeed be banned from having guns, and yes, people who commit domestic violence shouldn't have guns. Seems obvious, but apparently not to Justice Clarence Thomas, who dissented. Hmm. Anyway, a lot happened at the nation's highest court this year. And in 2025, defunding Planned Parenthood website, age verification and debates over immigration status will all be decided. There's also the landmark case over whether or not the US can really ban TikTok. What is the App store going to look like in February, the Supreme Court will once again play a massive role in how we work, play and live for years to come. To look back on this year of chaos and preview what's up next, I called up Crooked Strict Scrutiny host Melissa Murray. Melissa, welcome back to what a Day.

[Melissa Murray]

Thanks for having me. Jane.

[Jane Coastin]

The new term has begun and the court has already heard cases related to gender affirming care for minors, Medicare payments to hospitals for treating low income patients, and visa petitions in the US with regard to immigration process, among others. But what did the court not take up this term and why does it matter?

[Melissa Murray]

So as you noted, Jane, the court recently heard oral arguments in the United States versus Scarmetti. That is the case involving the challenge to a Tennessee ban on gender affirming care for trans youth or trans minors. Just last week, the court took up a petition to basically review a school board policy that provided support to trans students. And the policy was challenged by a of parents who argue that the policy effectively encourages school officials to keep them in the dark about their children's gender identity, to support their children, and to not share that information. The parents sued and lost at the lower court, but then appealed their loss to the United States Supreme Court. And the court said they weren't going to take up this challenge largely because none of the parents here were actually implicated by this policy because none of them has a trans kid.

[Jane Coastin]

I have to say that is one of my and when I say favorite, I mean least favorite. One of my favorite things is when you see these groups, they're like, oh, you know, we're just standing up for concerned parents and like, do you have a kid in the school district? No.

[Melissa Murray]

Just concern, concern trolling is a real thing and it's real at the Supreme Court. Thankfully, the court agreed that there was not jurisdiction to hear this case because there hasn't actually been an injury. These parents haven't been implicated by this policy. And some members of the court took that personally. Samuel Alito dissented from the denial of certiorari, and Justice Clarence Thomas also joined him in that dissent. And I'm pointing this out simply because a few weeks ago when Scarmetti was argued, Justice Alito seemed to have no room, no sympathy for the parents of trans youth and their rights to get medical care for their children. But in this descent from the denial of certiorari, he had so much to say about parental rights and the prerogatives of parents to raise their children in the manner of their choosing. We can disagree on a Lot of things. But I'm gonna need you to be consistent, at least on a weekly basis, sir. And so that's a pretty interesting case. And again, it's going to come back to the court. They're going to find better plaintiffs. They're gonna find parents who are actually implicated, and it'll give Justices Thomas and Alito the opportunity to really tell us how they feel about parents who are concerned.

[Jane Coastin]

Looking ahead to next year, there's of course the legal battle over TikTok, which I cannot wait to hear those oral arguments and just hear my favorite elderly justices asking some questions about TikTok influencers.

[Melissa Murray]

It's such an interesting case because it not only involves TikTok, which they don't know that much about, I think most of them don't. But it does involve a First Amendment question like whether or not the ban on TikTok is viewed viewpoint oriented or really just about national security. And I think that will intrigue a number of them. And obviously it is a massive question that has real implications for regulation of social media, which many of the conservatives are going to be really salivating to take up.

[Jane Coastin]

What are the big cases you are watching for this Supreme Court term?

[Melissa Murray]

So definitely scarmetti the case involving gender affirming care for trans minors, just because it seems pretty clear where the court is going with that. It will also have real implications for the provision medical care to trans adults. It will also have real implications for the entire jurisprudence around sex equality and whether or not sex based discrimination is unconstitutional. I'm also looking at this ghost guns case. This is very similar to the challenge we heard last term around bump stocks. It's really about whether an agency's definition or interpretation of a statute to include ghost guns is actually permissible, if that's the right way to interpret the statute. It's also really relevant because as we know now, Luigi Mangione, who is the individual who has been accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, apparently allegedly made the gun that was used in that killing. He made it with a 3D printer. Allegedly. And then there's this really interesting sovereign immunity case that will have real implications for the firearm industry. Mexico has sued Smith and Wesson on the ground that Smith and Wesson has effectively facilitated cartel criminal activity within Mexico's border. And this will have real implications for a federal statute here in the United States that essentially immunizes firearms manufacturers from suits for the work or the conduct that their products can engender. And so it has sovereignty immunity questions whether a foreign government can hold someone in the United States accountable for things that happen in that foreign government. And then also this big question for this law here in the United States immunizing firearms manufacturers.

[Jane Coastin]

Melissa, as always, thank you so much for joining us.

[Melissa Murray]

Thanks for having me.

[Jane Coastin]

That was my conversation with Strict Scrutiny host Melissa Murray. Before we go, Crooked's Friends of the Pod subscription is offering an exciting 25% off new annual subscriptions through the end of the year. If you're feeling anxious about the avalanche of headlines and new MAGA comic book villains waiting for us on the other side of 2025, you are not alone. Crooked is here to cut through the noise, break down what matters, and ease your hand off the panic button. And your subscription will support all of that work. You'll get ad free episodes of Pod Save America, subscription exclusive shows, access to our lively Discord community of like minded political junkies and more. All while supporting Crooked's mission in the best way. You can subscribe [e-mail] friends or through the Pod Save America feed on Apple Podcasts. That's all for today and that's all from us until 2025. We're going to take a two week break to rest and recharge and make sure those murder hornets really have been eradicated. Because you simply cannot be too sure. I'm wishing you an absolutely wonderful holiday and we will see you back here on January 6, 2025. So if you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Please support me in saying that it's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is not a Christmas song. It's an observation song and tell your friends to listen. Any of you are into reading like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston and I have very strong feelings on the subject of Christmas songs. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Raven Yamamoto. Our producer is Michelle Eloy. We have production help today from Tyler Hill, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adrian Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.

[Vladimir Putin]

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[Jane Coastin]

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