Democrats Call for 'Transing' Kids & Court Packing as Trump Calls for New Census | Aug. 8, 2025
Overview: national transgender care, court-packing proposals, and a controversial new census
This episode covers three flashpoint issues reshaping political debate in 2025: Democratic discussions about national gender-affirming care for minors and sanctuary treatment plans, James Carville’s public push for adding states and expanding the Supreme Court, and President Trump’s call for a mid-decade census excluding undocumented immigrants.
Democratic platform ideas and "transgender sanctuary" policy
Host Tony Kinnit reviews high-profile Democratic moves toward endorsing gender-affirming care for minors at a national level, including reports that New York City mayoral candidate plans to make the city a sanctuary for transgender treatments. These proposals suggest municipal and national strategies to provide gender-affirming care for minors, including travel and housing support for out-of-state families.
Court expansion, statehood, and political strategy
Veteran strategist James Carville argues Democrats should consider admitting Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. as states and expanding the Supreme Court to regain political advantage. The episode examines political strategy versus constitutional realities and explores how proposals to add Senate seats and Supreme Court justices would play out in 2028 if Democrats control the White House and Congress.
Trump’s mid-decade census proposal and apportionment implications
President Trump publicly directed the Commerce Department to begin a new census that would exclude people in the country illegally. The show explains the potential partisan effects on congressional apportionment, how migration patterns between blue and red states factor in, and the legal framework under 13 U.S.C. §141 that limits mid-decade census results from being used for apportionment.
Legal context and constitutional questions
The episode places each policy in legal context: state legislatures retain authority to draw congressional districts, the Supreme Court enforces one-person-one-vote precedents, and federal law places constraints on mid-decade census use. Federalist 54 is cited to highlight the Founders’ emphasis on accurate population counts for representation and taxation.
Why this matters: apportionment, political power, and local effects
Listeners are encouraged to consider how census counting rules, state redistricting authority, and municipal policies on healthcare access can shift representation and resources. The program urges civic engagement, legal scrutiny, and attention to how shadow-docket decisions and census accuracy influence long-term political balance.
Key themes:- National debates on gender-affirming care policies for minors and municipal sanctuary proposals.
- Strategic discussions about statehood and court expansion as partisan remedies.
- Legal limits and political consequences of a mid-decade census excluding undocumented immigrants.
