The Politics Lab

Mar 06 2025 215 ep. 58 mins 1k
The Politics Lab Podcast artwork

Politics isn’t always black and white. Dr. Bill Muck and Dr. Phil Barker, professors of political science and longtime friends, talk through the week’s news and discuss how political science might help make sense of things. In The Politics Lab, we put politics under the microscope.

  News  Government
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A Baffling Foreign Policy

Mar 06 2025 44 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil discuss Trump’s dramatic actions regarding Ukraine, his embrace of Tariffs, and the ways that these actions will remake the international system.

Strange Bedfellows

Feb 26 2025 46 mins  
Bill and Phil consider the state of global democracy in light of the third anniversary of the Ukraine war, the success of the far right in Germany’s elections, and the Trump administration’s attacks on press freedom.

King Trump

Feb 20 2025 44 mins  
Bill and Phil assess the implications of Donald Trump’s embrace of Russia, examine JD Vance’s speech lecturing Europe on democracy, and ponder what Donald Trump posting pictures of himself as king and comparing himself to Napoleon means for our constitution.

Red, White, and Blue Land

Feb 12 2025 54 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil take a look at what leading scholars are saying about Trump’s assault on American democracy and then lighten the mood by playing a round of “What’s More Stupid?”

World People

Feb 05 2025 44 mins  
On this week’s episode, Bill and Phil discuss Trump’s pledge to own Gaza, starting a trade war with allies and enemies alike, and claims that Elon is up to some serious illegality.

Chaos and Cruelty

Jan 30 2025 44 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil sift through the chaos of the first 10 days of Trump, 2.0, including the halt on federal spending, opening a immigrant detention center in Guantanamo, a fight with Colombia over deportees, the firing of 17 inspectors general, and much, much more. Now lets go to the lab.

Here We Go (Again)

Jan 21 2025 41 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil react to Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States.

Ceasefire

Jan 15 2025 38 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil react to the breaking news of a ceasefire in Gaza, reflect of the life of Jimmy Carter, and discuss the transition from Biden to Trump.

Confronting a Bully

Dec 17 2024 40 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil assess the hybrid war Putin is waging across Europe, review Mitch McConnell’s recent Foreign Affairs article rejecting isolationism and calling for American primacy, and close with a look at how a debate over sandwiches has divided the British government.

Syria

Dec 11 2024 45 mins  
This week, Bill and Phil discuss the implications of Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria and the troublesome logic of the Supreme Court’s arguments on trans rights, and then play “What’s More Stupid: Trump Social Media edition”.