Episodes

  • The Comma That Killed Coal

    The Comma That Killed Coal
    May 6 2026
    How a single punctuation mark in the Clean Air Act became the legal foundation for the EPA's war on coal plants—and why industry lawyers spent decades missing the weapon hiding in plain sight. The story of how bureaucrats turned a 1970s-era pollution law into the government's most powerful climate tool, one semicolon at a time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    15 mins
  • The Trillion Dollar Typo

    The Trillion Dollar Typo
    May 5 2026
    How a seemingly minor drafting error in the Affordable Care Act created a multi-billion dollar legal battleground and nearly brought down the entire law. We trace the behind-the-scenes scramble as lawyers, bureaucrats, and politicians discovered that four missing words could unravel a decade of healthcare policy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    19 mins
  • The Captured Regulator

    The Captured Regulator
    May 4 2026
    How Boeing went from being regulated by the FAA to essentially regulating itself—a decades-long power transfer that culminated in two crashed planes and 346 dead passengers. We trace the bureaucratic sleight of hand that let an industry write its own safety rules, and why 'self-certification' became the quiet philosophy reshaping everything from drug approvals to financial oversight. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    18 mins
  • The Accidental Surveillance State

    The Accidental Surveillance State
    May 3 2026
    How a 1978 law designed to protect Americans from government spying became the legal foundation for the largest surveillance apparatus in history. We trace the evolution of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act from post-Watergate reform to the secret interpretation that turned your metadata into an open book. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    20 mins
  • The Forty-Year Filibuster

    The Forty-Year Filibuster
    May 2 2026
    In 1975, a little-known Senate rule change was supposed to make filibusters easier to break. Instead, it accidentally created the legislative gridlock machine that defines Washington today. How a procedural tweak by well-meaning reformers broke the world's greatest deliberative body. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    15 mins
  • The God Committee's Last Stand

    The God Committee's Last Stand
    May 1 2026
    In 1962, a secret hospital committee in Seattle had the power to decide who lived and who died—literally choosing which patients would receive the world's scarce kidney dialysis machines. Their decisions created a national scandal that transformed American healthcare policy forever, establishing the principle that life-saving medical care should be a right, not a privilege determined by anonymous judges. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    13 mins
  • The Revolving Door's Broken Hinge

    The Revolving Door's Broken Hinge
    Apr 30 2026
    When a small regulatory agency suddenly reversed a billion-dollar industry decision, it exposed how former government officials cash in on their inside knowledge—and the one obscure ethics rule that actually has teeth. We trace the money trail behind Washington's most lucrative career pivot and reveal why some doors swing easier than others. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    14 mins
  • The Nuclear Football's Backup Plan

    The Nuclear Football's Backup Plan
    Apr 29 2026
    When Hurricane Katrina hit, FEMA's failure made headlines. But what happens when the systems designed to work during a genuine constitutional crisis—like presidential succession or nuclear command authority—face real-world chaos? We examine the shadow government protocols you've never heard of and why the backup plans for democracy itself might not work when we need them most. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    14 mins