Okay, so it’s not our best show title, but you get what it’s about don’t you? Yep, we’re jumping headfirst into the chaos machine. Won’t you join us?
REFERENCES
There have recently been a whole bunch of executive orders:
Federal Register. “2025 Donald J. Trump Executive Orders.” National Archive. https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/donald-trump/2025
If you didn’t get the weather map joke:
Stracqualursi, Veronica. “Washington Post: Trump Was the One Who Altered Dorian Trajectory Map With Sharpie.” September 6, 2019. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/06/politics/trump-sharpie-hurricane-dorian-alabama/index.html
They began numbering the executive orders after the Federal Register Act was passed:
McKinney, Richarch J. “A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.” September 16, 2019. Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC. https://www.llsdc.org/fr-cfr-research-guide
The first president to issue an executive order was George Washington:
Statutes and Stories. “George Washington’s First Executive Order.” February 1, 2021. https://www.statutesandstories.com/blog_html/george-washingtons-first-executive-order/
Powers and duties under Article II:
Constitution Annotated. “ArtII.1 Overview of Article II, Executive Branch.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-1/ALDE_00000243/
When Biden issued an executive order saying that the Equal Rights Amendment was properly ratified and is part of the Constitution:
Megerian, Chris; Superville, Darlene; and Savage, Claire. “Biden Says the Equal Rights Amendment Should Be Considered Ratified.” January 19, 2025. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment-era-16b554dfe913797a52f894b72684bc45
The archivist of the United States was just fired by the Trump administration:
Watson, Kathryn. “Trump Fires Archivist of the United States, Official Who Oversees Government Records.” February 7, 2025. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-fires-archivist-of-the-united-states-colleen-shogan/
In Trump’s first term, when the EPA issued the permit for the pipeline they initially rejected:
National Association of Counties. “Trump Administration Issues Executive Order Making It Harder for States to Block Oil and Gas Pipeline Projects.” April 16, 2019. https://www.naco.org/blog/trump-administration-issues-executive-order-making-it-harder-states-block-oil-and-gas-pipeline
Obama did not actually issue an executive order about marijuana but rather several guidance memoranda:
Lampe, Joanna R. “Does the President Have the Power to Legalize Marijuana?” [PDF]. Updated November 4, 2021. Congressional Research Service. http://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10655
Trump made comments about DE&I policies being responsible for a plane crash while signing an executive order about air safety:
Associated Press. “Trump Signs Aviation Order to Assess ‘Damage’ Done to Air Safety by Diversity Policies” [Video]. January 30, 2025. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-signs-aviation-order-to-assess-damage-done-to-air-safety-by-diversity-policies
The executive order Trump issued on birthright citizenship:
Oliphant, J. Baxter and Copeland, Joseph. “Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship Draws More Disapproval Than Approval.” February 21, 2025. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/21/trumps-executive-order-on-birthright-citizenship-draws-more-disapproval-than-approval/
John McCain, he was born in the Panama Canal Zone:
Farley, Robert. “Was McCain Born in the USA?” May 12, 2008. Politifact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2008/may/12/born-usa/
Ted Cruz was born in Canada:
Siddiqui, Sabrina. “Where Was Ted Cruz Born and Does It Matter for His Presidential Bid?” January 12, 2016. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/12/where-was-ted-cruz-born-citizenship-presidential-debate
In case you don’t know who Mike Lee is and why Mack thinks he likes Ted Cruz:
Svitek, Patrick. “Mike Lee Gives Ted Cruz First U.S. Senate Endorsement.” March 10, 2016. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2016/03/10/mike-lee-gives-cruz-first-us-senate-endorsement/
The Supreme Court that said he’s a king:
Delahunty, Robert and Yoo, John. “The Presidential immunity Decision.” October 7, 2024. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. https://journals.law.harvard.edu/jlpp/the-presidential-immunity-decision-robert-delahunty-john-yoo/
What’s been happening with the USAID:
Knickmeyer, Ellen and Kinnard, Meg. “What USAID Does, and Why Trump and Musk Want to Get Rid of It.” February 4, 2025. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/usaid-foreign-aid-freeze-trump-peter-marocco-8253d7dda766df89e10390c1645e78aa
The firing of the FAA people:
Copp, Tara. “Some of the 400 Jobs That Were Cut at the FAA Helped Support Air Safety, A Union Says.” February 19, 2025. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/faa-firings-trump-doge-safety-airlines-27390c6a7aac58063652302df5a243d3
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order:
National Archives. “The Emancipation Proclamation.” Reviewed January 28, 2022. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation
If you aren’t familiar with the movie scene, here’s a transcript:
American Rhetoric. “Lincoln (2012).” https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechlincoln13thamendmentdefense.htm
The Thirteenth Amendment:
Constitutional Annotated. “Thirteenth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-13/
An executive order from FDR in 1941:
National Archives. “Executive Order 8802: Prohibition of Discrimination in the Defense Industry (1941).” Reviewed June 25, 1941. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-8802
We referenced curfews. Here’s an interesting article about them:
Gainty, Caitjan. “Curfews Have a Dark History: No Wonder People Are Resisting Them in the Pandemic." February 2, 2022. King’s College London. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/curfews-have-a-dark-history-no-wonder-people-are-resisting-them-in-the-pandemic
Blackouts in World War II:
Wright Museum of World War II. “How the Home Front Became a Light During World War II Blackouts.” https://wrightmuseum.org/how-the-home-front-became-a-light-during-world-war-ii-blackouts/
Steve isn’t the only one phrasing it as a coup:
Stone, Peter. “‘This is a Coup’: Trump and Musk’s Purge is Cutting More Than Costs, Says Experts.” February 17, 2025. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/17/trump-musk-government-cost-cutting-coup
The election of 2020 when Trump would not concede:
Freking, Kevin. “Trump Seems to Acknowledge Biden Win, But He Won’t Concede.” November 15, 2020. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-f76f7c7c7182be4033151457ca81a9f7
And then he pardoned all of them:
Mangan, Dan. “Trump Draws Anger for Praising Police After He Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters.” March 4, 2025. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/04/trump-blasted-jan-6-capitol-riot-pardons-congress-police.html
One person who was getting a little pissed with having to comply with FAA regulations:
Federal Aviation Administration. “FAA Proposes $633,009 in Civil Penalties Against SpaceX.” September 17, 2024. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposes-633009-civil-penalties-against-spacex
Why some people can’t wait to get rid of OSHA:
Ducharme, Jamie. “What is OSHA and Why Do Some Republicans Want to Disband It?” February 6, 2015. Time. https://time.com/7213433/what-is-osha-republicans-disband/
The safety cages that Steve was talking about:
Braun, John. “Ladder Cages Are No Longer the Right Solution.” Simplified Safety. https://simplifiedsafety.com/blog/ladder-cages-are-no-longer-the-right-solution/
Anne was incorrect when she implied that the Trump administration had to roll back the firing of the inspectors general. That lawsuit is ongoing:
Whitehurst, Lindasy. “Government Watchdogs Fired by Trump Sue His Administration and Ask a Judge to Reinstate Them." February 12, 2025. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/watchdogs-trump-mass-firing-inspectors-general-5b4629fb34a168322bf61170286efb76
The division within the FBI that handles counterintelligence for foreign influence:
Dilanian, Ken. “Pam Bondi Ends FBI Effort to Combat Foreign Influence in U.S. Politics.” February 6, 2025. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/bondi-ends-fbi-effort-combat-foreign-influence-us-politics-rcna191012
In case you want to brush up on the concept of rule of law:
United States Courts. “Overview: Rule of Law.” https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/overview-rule-law
Rob Roy, the first official podcast drink:
https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rob-roy/
There are a lot of drinks out there described as a London Fog. Mack gives his recipe in the show, but this recipe is pretty close to what we drank:
https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1186/london-fog
In case you are having trouble following along with Mack’s squirrel:
Tour Texas. “San Antonio Map.” https://www.tourtexas.com/texas-maps/interactive-map-san-antonio
The weekly column by Garret Graff that Steve mentioned:
Graff, Garrett M. “Doomsday Scenario” [Series]. https://www.doomsdayscenario.co/?fbclid=IwY2xjawI62eFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfE4AwRIBQR7IabdTuQZ5jM_7DrGcp4Yn7-kSOrdEhWaAXIA7tPlVHks3g_aem_knprGJGfFdjUhEhpIapvZQ
A traditional gin and bitters:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/pink-gin-classic-cocktail-759332
Angostura Bitters are made in Trinidad and Tobago (a country in the Caribbean):
Angostura Bitters. “Our Story.” https://angosturabitters.com/our-story/
A much more accurate description of how Columbus Day came into being than Anne provided:
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Columbus Day.” Updated February 6, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Columbus-Day
But seriously, Columbus was a jackass:
Lee, Alicia. “Why Cristopher Columbus Wasn’t the Hero We Learned About it School.” June 12, 2020. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/christopher-columbus-slavery-disease-trnd/index.html
There are so many executive orders and so many people fighting them, it’s hard to keep track, but here is one forum that is doing their darndest:
Just Security. “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.” https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/
One of the executive orders that was rolled back within 24 hours:
Copp, Tara and Izaguirre, Anthony. “Trump Administration Tries to Bring Back Fired Nuclear Weapons Workers in DOGE Reversal.” February 16, 2025. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5
There was the hiring freeze of all these VA nurses:
Heckman, Jory. “VA Exempts 300,000 Health Care Positions From Governmentwide Hiring Freeze.” January 23, 2025. Federal News Network. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2025/01/va-exempts-300000-health-care-positions-from-governmentwide-hiring-freeze/
They cut spending to the Department of Public Transportation:
Roads & Bridges. “Trump Announces Executive Order on IIJA.” January 22, 2025. https://www.roadsbridges.com/funding/news/55262700/trump-announces-executive-order-on-iija
If you didn’t get the “big ball” reference, good for you. Please don’t read this explanation, it will just make you sad for the state of our country:
Kamp, Majlie de Puy. “Recording Reveals New Details on Controversial DOGE Employee.” February 22, 2025. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/doge-musk-edward-coristine-invs/index.html
If you are going to join a protest:
Human Rights Campaign. “Tips for Preparedness, Peaceful Protesting, and Safety.” https://www.hrc.org/resources/tips-for-preparedness-peaceful-protesting-and-safety
The people who did it the first time, all wrote books:
Five Books. “Resistance & Rebellion.” Updated February 6, 2025. https://fivebooks.com/books/resistance-revolution/
If you aren’t familiar with what Steve Bannon said:
Aitken, Peter. “Steve Bannon’s ‘Flood the Zone’ Strategy Explained Amid Trump Policy Blitz.” February 6, 2025. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/steve-bannon-flood-zone-strategy-explained-trump-policy-blitz-2027482
And Regina George and the Plastics wore pink on Wednesdays in the movie Mean Girls. But you already knew that.
