The POS Show

Today’s special guest is Asha Rangappa, a former FBI counterintelligence agent now on faculty at Yale University. We talk with Asha about the DOJ Office of the Inspector General report on the Clinton email investigation, what it all means, and get her take on some other legal issues surrounding President Trump. Plus, Joel and JC delve into news on child separation at the border and new NCAA rules. Show Rundown: Interview with Asha Rangappa - Last week the DOJ’s Inspector General released a report on the Clinton email investigation that continues to be fodder for political partisans of all stripes. Among its findings were breaches of protocol and evidence of bias among investigators. As a former FBI agent, Asha gives her take on what it all means, and what Americans should know about how the FBI conducts investigations. Plus, we get into some of the other legal news surrounding the President, specifically the NY Attorney General suit and the latest with Michael Cohen. Most importantly, we find out Asha’s go-to karaoke song. POS Nuggets - Children of immigrants attempting to cross the border illegally are being taken away from their parents. JC and Joel weigh in on why it’s wrong, and the Administration’s shifting explanations. Plus...the NCAA did something right for a change. Their new policy on student athlete transfers garners some rare praise from both our hosts. True Champions - Two people get the award for telling the truth.

After an interesting G7, Donald Trump is in Singapore for a historic meeting with Kim Jong Un. Will the outcome be substantive, or just a photo op? Also in politics, Hollywood is playing into Trump’s hands. In sports, we talk the LeBron-stakes, a controversial high school track meet, and the College World Series. Show Rundown - The Big POS: If you ever wondered what the Trump Doctrine of foreign policy is, wonder no more. Trump ended a contentious G7 still tweeting insults at Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, as Trump headed to Singapore for face to face talks with Kim Jong Un. Will they lead to anything, or is it just the world's most expensive photo op? Hot Takes: Joel rebukes the idea of LeBron headed to the West, but JC disagrees. A trans female smoked biological females at a high school track meet, and Joel and JC agree it isn’t fair. POS Nuggets: Hollywood’s and the media elite’s tone on Trump are playing right into his hands, while they still wonder why he won. In sports, the College World Series Super Regionals have been fantastic, and college baseball generally is becoming better and better as a sports product. True Champions: Brett Favre, and Little League Umpires.

JC and Joel interview Alex Isenstadt, a reporter with DC-based Politico covering Congress and elections across the country. We go on a deep dive with Alex about Tuesday’s primary results and what they mean going forward. As a bonus, Alex’s take on the Golden State Warriors. Plus, our hosts say something nice about Trump, a Stanley Cup update, and predictions. Show Rundown: Interview with Alex Isenstadt - Seven states held primaries Tuesday. Most of the focus was on California, but there’s plenty of insight to be gained from results elsewhere about Democrats’ chances to retake the House, and what’s motivating the Republican base. We take a deep dive with Alex. POS Nuggets - JC and Joel are happy with President Trump’s commutation of Alice Marie Johnson’s sentence. They’re unhappy about the Golden Knights falling apart. Predictions - Will the Cavs get swept, and who will win the LeBron sweepstakes? Plus, will the North Korea summit actually happen?

We are less than 100 Days from college football! JC and Joel are fired up about kickoff, but not so much when it comes to some of the silly preview stories. Speaking of auspicious days, we mark 500 days of Trump and it keeps getting weirder. Also plenty of talk on wedding cakes, Bernie, baseball and basketball memes. Don’t miss it! Show Rundown: The Big POS - College football kicks off in less than three months. The guys talk recruiting and run down some strengths and weaknesses of the top teams. They also hit on some hot-takerry involving Lane Kiffen and unknowable speculation. Hot Takes - Joel disputes the Trump legal team’s kingly pronouncements. JC takes on Bernie for taking on Disney. POS Nuggets - The Masterpiece Cake Shop case was decided today, and Joel and JC agree the Supreme Court got it right. Plus, more people are watching memes about the NBA than watching the NBA Finals themselves. True Champions - Two from the world of baseball, one team and one player.

JC and Joel have some tough words for the NCAA and their feckless, selective enforcement policies in the wake of their Brian Bowen decision. Elsewhere in basketball, the NBA finals are here, and the guys are not impressed. In politics, President Trump is taking Twitter to a new level. Is it a sign of things to come? Plus, the Roseanne Barr controversy. Show Rundown: The Big POS - The feckless NCAA has done it again, screwing with the life of a promising student athlete in the name of “getting tough.” JC and Joel lay bare the NCAA’s inconsistent and idiotic policing practices, and how they’re really only looking to protect their own image, not protect student athletes. Hot Takes - Donald Trump is turning heads on Twitter, including with the pardon of a conservative provocateur. POS Nuggets - Roseanne Barr is a cretin, not a defender of free speech. You can read more about it here. In sports, we didn’t get the NBA Finals we needed, we got the one we deserved. Predictions - Who wins the NBA Finals, and will Trump make a bold move?

It’s an absolutely epic edition of The POS Show, where Joel and JC tackle the NFL’s edict on kneeling, Social Justice Warfare gone awry, and a dumb court decision on Twitter. Plus, a Mueller update, poking fun at DC sports, and sad news from sports journalism. Don’t miss it! Show Rundown: The Big POS - In an effort to create a compromise, the NFL has perhaps created an even bigger headache for itself with its new National Anthem policy, mandating that players must stand or stay in the locker room. JC and Joel dive in to why the policy is flat out un-American, and how the NFL is creating an entirely new set of problems for itself. Hot Takes - Social Justice Warriors’ heads are spinning over a Canadian waxing controversy. A federal judge issues a dumb decision regarding Twitter. POS Nuggets - After a year, narratives and counter-narratives are beginning to take hold regarding the Mueller investigations. JC wants him to hurry up, Joel calls for patience. DC’s hockey team is mocked. Plus, sad news for sports journalism as a major online outlet shutters, reflecting a larger industry trend. Predictions - June 12th is off, but will we ever get a North Korean summit?

Donald Trump is taking it up a notch with his beef with the FBI and DOJ. We pick apart the latest conspiracy theory. Elsewhere in politics, no one is doing anything to secure our schools. In sports, a shout out to the Golden Knights, dumb sports reporter questions, and JJ Watt. Also...we answer what Donald Trump and the NBA have in common. Show Rundown: The Big POS - The President is lighting up Twitter again, lashing out at anything and everything regarding what Special Counsel Bob Mueller is (or is not) investigating. This time, his blunt object is an unfounded conspiracy theory about the FBI allegedly “implanting” someone in his campaign. Spoiler Alert: There is zero evidence it happened. Joel and JC break down the latest ranting, plus a bigger picture look at how not to handle an investigation. Hot Takes - Joel argues that the NBA and Donald Trump have more in common than you’d think. JC gives a shout out to the Golden Knights for their remarkable season. POS Nuggets - The Supreme Court paved the way for legalized sports betting, and for some reason a certain segment of sportswriters believe coaches need to weigh in on it. JC and Joel explain why that’s dumb. In more somber news, the Left and the Right continue to fail our kids by refusing to secure schools in a meaningful way, leading to another tragedy in Texas. True Champions - A football player and a horse.

The POS Show is wishing a very, very special anniversary to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and President Donald Trump - or as we like to call them, Robbie and Donnie - for their 365 days of investigatory bliss. Plus, plenty of College Football talk with Saban rebuking UCF, a possibly stolen football, and an almost unprecedented transfer. Show Rundown: The Big POS - There’s been a whirlwind of news surrounding the one year anniversary of Mueller’s appointment as Special Counsel. The Senate released sworn testimony from multiple witnesses, more details emerge about Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels’ lawyer dangles more tantalizing clues. The fellas wrap it up all in a bow. Hot Takes - North Korea is Lucy, America is Charlie Brown, and lasting peace is a football. Plus, why Nick Saban is right and Danny Kanell is wrong/dumb. POS Nuggets - There’s an Encyclopedia Brown-level mystery in the White House being investigated by the President’s Chief-of-Staff. Big time transfer news in College Football. And a quick NBA Update. Predictions - When will the next indictment come, and who?

Big news this week as the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law prohibiting gambling in most states. JC and Joel discuss the road ahead. Elsewhere in politics, the U.S. Embassy in Israel officially moved to Jerusalem, we learn more about Russian Propaganda, and the White House teaches us how not to apologize. In sports, the Cavs got smoked in Game 1...can they recover? Don’t miss this POS Show! Show Rundown: The Big POS - In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court has struck down a 1992 Federal Law that prohibited most sports betting outside the state of Nevada, saying states should be able to regulate sports betting themselves. Sports betting is a $150 BILLION yearly industry, with only a fraction of that, $5 billion yearly, being placed through legal sports betting in Nevada. JC and Joel break down the Court’s decision and what this means for sports fans. Hot Takes - Joel talks about the White House’s ham-fisted handling of a tasteless joke, while JC weighs in on Russian Propaganda. POS Nuggets - The Celtics rose up on the Cavs in Game One of the Conference finals, holding LeBron James to just 15 points. The Celtics definitely smell blood in the water, but the Cavs have looked like they're on the ropes before only to come back and win when it counts. Will they get it together, or will their playoff run end - and along with it, possibly the LeBron era in Cleveland (again)? Also, violence erupted in Israel today as the United States celebrated the opening of its Jerusalem embassy. While most of the reaction has broken down along predictably partisan lines, Joel and JC look at both sides of the issue and discuss a pretty rationale take on the situation, from Obama's former Ambassador to Israel. True Champions - Two women, one from politics and one from sports.

Trump’s approach seems to be getting results in North Korea, but the situation in Iran is far murkier. A Tale of Two Michaels, with Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti dropping a bombshell on Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Plus, who means more to their organization both now and historically - LeBron James, or Nick Saban? All of this and more on today’s POS Show with JC Shurburtt and Joel Sawyer. Show Rundown The Big POS - There’s a promising sign for peace on the Korean peninsula, as three US citizens held prisoner in North Korea have now returned to US soil. But the situation in the Middle East is murkier, after Trump has withdrawn the US from the Iran nuclear deal. Reaction to both have predictably broken down along party lines, and JC and Joel break through the BS to decipher what it all means. POS Nuggets - Joel mocks the NY Mets. JC defends celebrities against ridiculous and hypocritical fan expectations regarding politics. POS Nuggets - Was Trump attorney Michael Cohen selling access to the President? That’s the story being advanced by Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti, after he uncovered and released more than $2.5 million in payments to the same shell corporation that paid Stormy her hush money. Plus, the NBA Conference Finals are set and the teams are no surprise to anyone. Joel and JC debate the significance of LeBron James and Nick Saban to their respective organizations. Predictions - Who will advance to the NBA Finals, and will Gina Haspel be confirmed as CIA Director?

JC and Joel celebrate their 50th Episode by bringing you a huge POS! We talk the latest on Trump and Giuliani and the news media’s role in our society’s polarization. There’s a guy running for U.S. Senate in WV who in one ad mentions “China People” and cocaine. We play into Kanye’s hands by giving him attention. In sports, we’ve got hoops talk about making the NBA great again. Plus, for the first time ever….hockey talk! Show Rundown: The Big POS - Rudy Giuliani is still on TV defending the President, but some say he’s doing more harm than good. Speaking of which...Trump is lighting up Twitter with everything from more accusations of a Witch Hunt to a defense of his CIA chief nominee to an un-dorsement of Don Blankenship. We look at it all in the context Trump’s popularity holding steady and the news media’s role our society’s political polarization. Hot Takes - JC gives a shout out to hockey fans in Nashville, while Joel has a warning to everyone who is praising Kanye. POS Nuggets - The Cavs are up 3-0, as are the Celtics in the East. In the West, Golden State and Houston both lead their respective series 3-1. It all begs the question...does the NBA regular season even matter, and can we make the NBA great again? Our political nugget for the day discusses the phenomenon of being “Trumpier than Trump,” especially in West Virginia where an ex-convict is on the cusp of winning the Republican Primary with some bizarre ads that contain racial rhetoric and accusations of cocaine smuggling aimed at Senator Mitch McConnell. True Champions - JC picks an animal, Joel picks a statesman.

Rudy Giuliani is out front of Trump’s legal team with new revelations about payments to Stormy Daniels, just days after the same legal team leaks the Special Counsel’s potential questions. Is there a method to this legal madness? Plus, a shout out to Mossad and our new favorite doctor. In sports, strikeouts reign in MLB, Bama tops the preseason NCAA poll, and can the Cavs take the Raptors? Joel and JC break it all down. Show Rundown: The Big POS: When former federal prosecutor and NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani took the helm of the Trump legal team, he predicted the Mueller probe could end in weeks. If he keeps doing cable news appearances, he may prove himself correct but not in the way he thought. Giuliani dropped a bomb into the news cycle when he revealed Trump did, in fact, know about Michael Cohen’s payments to Stormy Daniels - contradicting previous statements from both Trump and Cohen, and something that could have implications with regard to campaign finance violations. This comes the same week as the Trump legal team released an outline to the questions Mueller wants answers to from the President, in an attempt to show the Special Counsel investigation has gone off the rails. Was it a shrewd legal move, or a huge backfire? Hot Takes: Joel gives a shout out to Mossad, the Israeli special forces that made a brazen document grab in Iran. JC delves into Trump Doc Harold Bornstein, who we can’t help feel a little bad for. POS Nuggets: In what some people are calling an anomaly, others are calling a sign of how baseball is now played - for the first time ever, the MLB went a full month where strikeouts outnumbered hits. Joel and JC discuss why it might or might not be significant. Plus, another way-too-early NCAA football preseason ranking is out, and the guys break down what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s probably just click bait. Predictions: Will the Cavs take the Raptors, and will Trump be subpoenaed?

The world of politics is still buzzing in the aftermath of a controversial White House Correspondents Association Dinner. JC and Joel weigh in on some of the double standards at play. Hot takes include Condoleezza Rice and Mitt Romney, and both involve...sports. Plus, a recap of the NFL Draft and an NBA playoff update. This episode is hot! Show Rundown: The Big POS: Tongues are STILL wagging after comedian Michelle Wolf torched the Trump Administration in the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. JC talks about how the routine crossed lines, and Joel weighs in on how it further erodes trust in the political press corps. Hot Takes: Both hot takes involve both politics and sports this week, as the hosts discuss Condoleezza Rice’s NCAA committee recommendations, and whether or not Mitt Romney is a cyborg after he showed up at a Jazz game. POS Nuggets: The NFL draft is in the books. What teams did well and what teams tanked? Plus, an NBA playoff update and some storylines to watch there going forward. True Champions: Joel picks a ball player, JC picks a world leader.

Jonathan Martin of the New York Times joins Joel and JC to talk about life covering the Trump administration inside the Beltway. Plus,, loads of NFL Draft talk on the day the first round begins. Joel and JC dive in with the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin about all the news coming out of the Trump Administration. Jonathan gives some great insight about the news firehose that is the White House, and what’s really behind Trump’s tough talk on the media. Plus, some predictions on the Democrats’ prospects to take back the House or the Senate. And it wouldn’t be the Politics or Sports show without some football talk. Jonathan delves into why he’s over the Redskins, and the college team he’s adopted. For our Big POS segment, JC and Joel give their insight on how the first round of the NFL Draft is likely to play out. Everyone knows it will be a quarterback-heavy draft, and the guys don’t believe that gambling high picks is a smart strategy. They do have some thoughts on what WOULD be smart, and we’ll see if the NFL draft gurus listen. All of this and more on an absolutely jam-packed edition of the POS Show!

Joel and JC compare the daily madness of the Trump administration to popular movies, both starring John Candy. The guys dig into the North Korea situation. JC visited a Major League ballpark and had a blast despite the game getting rained out. Plus, two True Champions and more. Don't miss this episode! Show Rundown: The Big POS - It was an eventful week in Trumpland, with the leaking of the Comey memos, a possible summit with North Korea, and speculation of Michael Cohen flipping. As usual, Trump made his feelings on all of the above well known on Twitter. JC and Joel look at the Trump Administration through the lens of a couple of popular 80’s movies that both happen to star John Candy, God rest his soul. Hot Takes - Conservatives don’t trust the legacy media, and Joel gives another reason why. JC weighs in on the ridiculous coverage surrounding the release of NFL schedules. POS Nuggets - Take JC out to the ball game! Why going to an MLB park is still a blast, and much better than watching it on TV. Plus, why Mike Pompeo should be confirmed. True Champions - Joel awards it to his new favorite dad, and JC gives the honors to a true hero.