Episodes

  • CD307: Immaculate Constellation

    CD307: Immaculate Constellation
    Dec 21 2024

    U.S. military whistleblowers have told Congress about secret programs related to non-human piloted aircraft and submersibles. In this episode, listen to testimony from additional whistleblowers who add more information to what we have already learned, listen to the response from the person at the Defense Department in charge of investigating these claims, and learn about a secret program called Immaculate Constellation, which allegedly has a hidden treasure trove of evidence that we are not alone.

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    View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd307-immaculate-constellation
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    55 mins
  • CD306: The Food Police

    CD306: The Food Police
    Dec 15 2024

    Immediately after we published the Freaky Food episode, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration testified to the Senate and provided valuable insights into why our food supply is concerning for all the reasons exposed in episode 305. In this episode, listen to testimony from two hearings with FDA officials as we finish this series looking into the hidden dangers inside our food.

    View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd306-the-food-police

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • CD305: Freaky Food

    CD305: Freaky Food
    Nov 21 2024

    There are dangers lurking in our food that affect your health and the health of our entire society, and you should know about them. In this episode, get the highlights from two recent Congressional events featuring expert testimony about the regulation of our food supply, as well as testimony from the man who is soon likely to be the most powerful person in our national health care system.

    View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd305-freaky-food

    Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links
    • Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal
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    • Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com
    • Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536.

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    1 hr and 41 mins
  • CD304: Trump Returns

    CD304: Trump Returns
    Nov 10 2024

    After a brief analysis of what we currently know about the 119th Congress, we process the return of President Trump.

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    Background Sources Reconciliation

    “What are the Inflation Reduction Act and Budget Reconciliation?” Rebecca Goldman. September 1, 2022. League of Women Voters.

    “Introduction to Budget ‘Reconciliation.’” Richard Kogan and David Reich. May 6, 2022. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

    “New guidance on reconciliation could be a game changer for Democrats.” Lisa Desjardins. April 7, 2021. PBS News.

    House Race Results

    “Path to 218: Tracking the Remaining House Races.” The New York Times.

    2020 vs. 2024 Presidential Results

    “Presidential Election Results: Trump Wins.” The New York Times.

    “Presidential Election Results 2020: Biden Wins.” The New York Times.

    Audio Sources ELECTION RESULTS SPECIAL!!!

    November 5, 2024
    justinryoung on Twitch

    About Trump’s Election Victory

    November 7, 2024
    We’re Not Wrong

    Music

    Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito

    Editing

    Pro Podcast Solutions

    Production Assistance

    Clare Kuntz Balcer
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    1 hr and 57 mins
  • CD303: Interviewing the Insiders

    CD303: Interviewing the Insiders
    Oct 30 2024

    During the RNC and DNC, Jen interviewed nine members of Congress about Congress itself. What is it like to work there? Do they think Congress is dysfunctional? If so, how do they think it could be fixed? In this episode, listen to the most interesting responses from all of the interviews.

    Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links
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    • Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com
    • Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536.

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    View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd303-interviewing-the-insiders

    Background Sources

    “Two men have re-engineered the US electoral system in favor of Republicans.” David Daley. October 4, 2024. The Guardian.

    “Darin LaHood: Top Industries 2015-2024.” OpenSecrets.

    “Darin LaHood: Contributors 2015-2024.” OpenSecrets.

    “Appropriations Status Table: FY2024.” Accessed October 30, 2024. Congressional Research Service.

    “Appropriations Status Table: FY2025.” Accessed October 30, 2024. Congressional Research Service.

    Music

    Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito

    Editing

    Pro Podcast Solutions

    Production Assistance

    Clare Kuntz Balcer
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • CD302: The Border Bills

    CD302: The Border Bills
    Oct 23 2024
    This election has featured a lot of talk about ‘immigration’ and ‘the border’ but has been short on specifics. In this episode, you’ll get those specifics. Specifically, you’ll learn what was in H.R. 2, a Republican bill passed by the House, and you’ll learn what was in the so-called bipartisan border bill which was killed by Donald Trump’s loyalists in the Senate and which Kamala Harris has promised to revive as President. Which bill would actually solve the problems? Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPalSupport Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode)Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.comSend Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-BrineySend Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.comUse your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd302-the-border-bills Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD177: Immigrant Family Separations Current Immigration Process Visas “Immigrant Investor Visas.” Accessed October 22, 2024. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. “The Latest USCIS Processing Times – 2024.” Accessed October 22, 2024. Boundless. “The Diversity Visa Lottery, Explained.” Accessed October 22, 2024. Boundless. “Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Green Card Lottery).” October 22, 2024. USAGov. “Visa Bulletin For October 2024.” September 3, 2024. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Asylum “Refugee admissions are increasing after a 40-year low in 2021.” August 1, 2024. USAFacts. “Biden imposes sweeping asylum ban at US-Mexico border.” Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg. June 5, 2024. Reuters. “U.S. Annual Refugee Resettlement Ceilings and Number of Refugees Admitted, 1980-Present.” Accessed October 22, 2024. Migration Policy Institute. Unauthorized Immigration “Migrant encounters at U.S.-Mexico border have fallen sharply in 2024.” John Gramlich. October 1, 2024. Pew Research Center. “What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.” Jeffrey S. Passel and Jens Manuel Krogstad. July 22, 2024. Pew Research Center. Backlog “Immigration Court Backlog Tops 3 Million; Each Judge Assigned 4,500 Cases.” December 18, 2023. TRAC Immigration. Immigrant Detention “Unchecked Growth: Private Prison Corporations and Immigration Detention, Three Years into the Biden Administration.” Eunice Cho. August 7, 2023. American Civil Liberties Union. Irwin County Detention Center “Hearing: Medical Mistreatment of Women in ICE Detention.” November 15, 2022. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. “Ossoff to present findings of investigation into abuse, unnecessary gynecological procedures at Georgia ICE facility.” Jonathan Raymond. November 15, 2022. 11 ALIVE. “US Ends Use Of Irwin County Detention Center After Accusations Of Mistreatment.” May 20, 2021. WABE. “ICE to close Georgia detention center where immigrant women alleged medical abuse.” Molly O’Toole. May 20, 2021. The LA Times. C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center in Bristol County, MA “ICE ends relationship with Bristol County Sheriff Hodgson, citing mistreatment of detainees.” Ben Berke. May 21, 2021. The Public’s Radio. “Investigation into the Events of May 1, 2020 at the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center, Unit B, Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.” December 15, 2020. Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General Civil Rights Division. Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, Alabama “Final ICE detainees removed from Etowah County Detention Center.” Erin Wise. April 15, 2022. ABC 33 40 News. “U.S. to close, scale back four immigrant detention centers.” Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg. March 25, 2022. Reuters. “ICE Withdrawing Detainees From Etowah County Detention Center, Cites ‘Serious Deficiencies.’” March 25, 2022. BirminghamWatch. “ICE to close Etowah Detention Center.” March 25, 2022. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “‘The Worst Place Ever’ is ICE’s Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama.” Paul Moses. June 8, 2018. The Daily Beast. Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida “‘No one should be treated this way’: Congressional Leaders Renew Call on Biden Administration to Close Troubled Florida ICE Prison.” February 2, 2022. Freedom for Immigrants. “Letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.” Debbie Wasserman Schultz et al. February 1, 2022. South Texas Family Residential Center “CoreCivic Inc: Summary.” Accessed October 22, 2024. OpenSecrets. “ICE to close nation’s ...
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • CD301: 2024 Election Study Guide

    CD301: 2024 Election Study Guide
    Sep 28 2024
    We’re making it easy for you to judge the job performances of your members of Congress! In this episode, Jen tells you about a list of single issue votes that were taken in the House and Senate during the 118th Congress. Most importantly, we gave you all the information you need to find your members’ voting records in this episode’s show notes. You can find your 2024 Congressional Election Study guide in the episode 301 show notes on www.congressionaldish.com. Happy voting! Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPalSupport Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode)Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.comSend Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-BrineySend Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.comUse your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! For the best experience, view the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd301-2024-election-study-guide FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS Enacted Laws H.R. 7888: Reforming Intelligence and Security America Act (FISA Reauthorization) Jen’s highlighted PDF of H.R. 7888 Congressional Dish Episode: CD291: Warrantless Spying Continues House Vote Breakdown ← find how your Representative voted here Senate Vote Breakdown ← find how your Senator voted here Effects of H.R. 7888: Expands the number of people allowed to be legally spied on by the U.S. government and the number of people with information stored in the FISA database (which has information about Americans whose data has been collected along with information about foreigners). It does so by… Giving the Department of Justice (DOJ) permission to search the FISA database to vet foreigners who are applying for tourist visas to visit the United States andExpanding the definition of ‘foreign intelligence’ to include counter narcotics targets. Expands the number of companies who get legal immunity for turning our information over to the government by expanding the definition of “electronic communications service provider”. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is no longer legally allowed to search the FISA database solely to find evidence of a crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is prohibited from using uncorroborated information from political groups or anonymous sources in press reports to get FISA warrants. Limits the number of people within the government who are allowed to search through the database. Background Sources for H.R. 7888: “FISA Section 702: A One Page Overview.” INTEL.gov. “Statement of Michael E. Horowitz Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance concerning ‘Fixing FISA: How a Law Designed to Protect Americans Has Been Weaponized Against Them.’” Michael Horowitz. April 27, 2023. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. “An apology to Carter Page.” Jonathan Turley. December 14, 2019. The Hill. “Is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Really a Rubber Stamp?: Ex Parte Proceedings and the FISC Win Rate” Conor Clarke. February 2014. Stanford Law Review. “The Biggs Amendment” to H.R. 7888 [failed] Jen’s Highlighted PDF of the Biggs Amendment House Vote Breakdown ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effect of the Biggs Amendment: Would require U.S. government officials to get a warrant before searching through the FISA database for information about U.S. citizens or companies, with emergency exceptions. H.R.7521 - Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act Jen’s Highlighted PDF of H.R. 7521 Congressional Dish Episode: CD289: The Not a Tik Tok Ban Bill House Vote Breakdown ← find how your Representative voted here Effects of H.R. 7521: It is now illegal for companies to provide internet hosting services, distribute, and/or update “foreign adversary controlled applications”, websites, or games, which are partially owned by a foreign person and are determined by the President - with no proof required - to pose “a significant threat to the national security of the United States.” Establishes a process that allows companies to host, distribute, and/or update if the app, website, or game changes ownership. If companies host, distribute, and/or update the targeted apps, websites, or games, the companies are subject to fines that - depending on the user base of the targeted app, website, or game - can be hundreds of billions of dollars. H.R. 8034: Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act [Enacted via H.R. 815] Jen’s Highlighted PDF of H.R. 8034 CBO Cost Estimate House Vote Breakdown ← find how your ...
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • CD300: Right to Repair

    CD300: Right to Repair
    Sep 17 2024
    You do not have the right to repair your own belongings because of intellectual property rights granted to corporations by Congress in 1998. In this episode, listen to the debate happening in Congress about if and how they should grant customers the right to repair and get a status update on the multiple efforts under way in the current Congress, including one with a good chance of becoming law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPalSupport Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode)Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.comSend Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-BrineySend Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.comUse your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd300-right-to-repair Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD269: NDAA 2023/Plan Ecuador McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines “McDonald’s Ice Cream Machine Hackers Say They Found the ‘Smoking Gun’ That Killed Their Startup.” Andy Greenberg. December 14, 2023. Wired. “McDonald's Broken Ice Cream Machines Lead to ‘Right to Repair’ Lawsuit.” Joseph Fawbush. March 29, 2022. FindLaw. John Deere “How John Deere Hijacked Copyright Law To Keep You From Tinkering With Your Tractor.” Luke Hogg. January 8, 2024. Reason. Internet of Things Updates and Maintenance “Old devices, new dangers: The risks of unsupported IoT tech.” Márk Szabó. August 27, 2024. WeLiveSecurity. Massachusetts Auto Repair Law “Motor Vehicle Telematics System Notice Requirement.” Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. DoD’s Revolving Door “Featured Revolver: Lloyd Austin.” OpenSecrets. “Revolving Door: Mark Esper.” OpenSecrets. “Boeing executive out, Raytheon lobbyist in to lead Pentagon.” Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Reid Champlin. June 18, 2019. OpenSecrets. “Revolving Door: James Mattis.” OpenSecrets. “General Dynamics Corp Board Member James N. Mattis.” Salary.com. Military Right to Repair Issues “The U.S. Military Has a 'Right to Repair' Problem.” Kyle Mizokami. February 11, 2020. Popular Mechanics. “Even The American Military Is Struggling With Right-To-Repair.” Max Finkel. February 8, 2020. Jalopnik. “Here’s One Reason the U.S. Military Can’t Fix Its Own Equipment.” Elle Ekman. November 20, 2019. The New York Times. “Letter to the FTC Chairman: Military Acquisition, Procurement, and the Right to Repair.” Lucas Kunce and Elle Ekman. September 15, 2019. Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) “Technological Protection Measures (TPM) - Fact Sheet.” Jennifer Zerkee. November 8, 2023. Simon Fraser University. Cyber Risks “Web Hackers vs. The Auto Industry: Critical Vulnerabilities in Ferrari, BMW, Rolls Royce, Porsche, and More.” Sam Curry et al. January 3, 2023. samcurry.net. Apple Lawsuit “Apple, Corellium settle iOS virtualization case.” Brandon Vigliarolo. December 18, 2023. The Register. NDAA Sec. 828 “Appliance and Tractor Companies Lobby Against Giving the Military the Right to Repair.” Jason Koebler. August 28, 2024. 404 Media. “Letter to Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Roger Wicker, Rep. Mike Rogers, and Rep. Adam Smith.” AdvaMed et al. July 30, 2024. DocumentCloud via 404 Media. Laws Section 1201 of Digital Millennium Copyright Act Full DMCA Electronic Frontier Foundation Summary Bills S.4638 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 Sec. 828 : REQUIREMENT FOR CONTRACTORS TO PROVIDE REASONABLE ACCESS TO REPAIR MATERIALS. H.R.1707 - SMART Act Fair Repair Act House Version: H.R.8544Senate Version: S.4422 H.R.906 - REPAIR Act H.R.6879 - Farm Freedom to Repair Act H.R.6566 - Freedom to Repair Act of 2022 Audio Sources To receive testimony on the posture of the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program May 16, 2024 Senate Armed Services Committee Witnesses: Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy Clip Watch clip on YouTube Sen. Elizabeth Warren: So the Navy acquires everything from night vision goggles to aircraft carriers through contracts with big defense contractors, but the contractors often place restrictions on these deals that prevent service members from maintaining or repairing the equipment, or even let them write a training manual without going back through the contractor. Now the contractors say that since they own the intellectual property and the technical data underlying the equipment, only they have the right to repair that equipment. These right to repair restrictions usually translate into much higher costs for DOD, which has no choice but to shovel money out to big contractors whenever DOD needs ...
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    1 hr and 18 mins