Glyphosate, Gabbard, and the USPS

The Politics Guys

Michael Baranowski

Politics, News

4.4 • 783 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mike and Trey open this supporters' exclusive midweek episode with President Trump’s Defense Production Act order boosting domestic glyphosate production amid lawsuits and MAHA backlash, with Mike arguing that the weight of scientific evidence does not support typical-use carcinogen claims while warning against reflexive “chemicals are toxins” thinking, and Trey emphasizing the real policy tension between potential health risks and the massive food price shocks that would follow an abrupt ban, especially given agricultural and national security dependencies. Next, they examine the whistleblower complaint involving DNI Tulsi Gabbard and the White House’s executive privilege claim, with Trey skeptical of shielding information already deemed non-credible by inspectors general and questioning why even the Gang of Eight cannot review it, and Mike arguing that the privilege rationale is strained and reflects a broader pattern of prioritizing loyalty over institutional competence in key national security roles. After that, the guys dig into the Supreme Court’s USPS immunity ruling, with Mike contending that the majority stretched ordinary meanings of “loss” and “miscarriage” to create what amounts to a blanket shield against intentional non-delivery claims, and Trey arguing the decision ignores statutory context and undermines accountability—particularly troubling given allegations of racially motivated mail withholding in the underlying case. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
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0:23.3	top companies choose Vanta.
0:25.1	Do security and compliance right.
0:27.0	Get started today at Vanta.com.
0:30.1	Atheists, agnostics, long-haired widows,
0:33.2	short-haired widows, vandal,
0:34.9	gul-a-guns.
0:35.3	The government, hug the government, love. The government, hug the government, love, the government, hug the government, love the government, hug the government, love, the government, hug the government, love, the government, hug the government, love the government, love the government, hug the government, love the government, love the government, I'm political scientist Michael Baranowski, an emeritus professor at North Kentucky University. I'm joined today by Oklahoma Christian University political scientist, Trey Orndort. Hey, Trey. Mike, it's great to be back with you in the midweek show.
0:55.4	Yeah, I am looking forward to getting to some of those things we didn't quite have time for
0:59.8	in our regular weekend show. And one thing, you know, we talk a little bit on the weekend show
1:05.1	about the Defense Production Act in the context of Anthropic. But, and, you know, I'm kind of out of practice thinking about the Defense Production Act. We talk about it a lot in the context of Anthropic. But, and, you know, I'm kind of out of practice thinking about
1:12.7	the Defense Production Act. We talk about it a lot in the context of COVID when it was invoked.
1:16.7	But actually, President Trump recently invoked it to compel domestic production of glyphosate,
1:24.5	which is the active ingredient Monsadil's Roundup weed killer. Also, it applied to elemental phosphorus, which is the active ingredient Monsadles Roundup weed killer, also applied to elemental
	...

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