>> Cathy: IT'S ANOTHER FULL SUMMER TIME SHOW FOR YOU TONIGHT.

LATER IN THE HOUR WE'LL HAVE A LIVE PERFORMANCE BY NUR-D. PAUL DOUGLAS IS HERE FOR HIS WEATHER VISIT.

DOMINIC PAPATOLA HAS THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET TOGETHER AND OF COURSE WE'LL VOLUNTEER HAVE A POLITICAL PANEL TO END THE HOUR.

>> Eric: POLITICAL NEWS OUT OF D.C. IS WHERE WE START.

THE RESCISSION BILL THAT WILL CLAW BACK PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED MONEY FOR FOREIGN AID AND PUBLIC MEDIA FUNDING HAS PASSED BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE.

HOW UNUSUAL IS IT FOR CONGRESS TO GIVE A PRESIDENT SUCH AUTHORITY OVER SPENDING?

HADN'T HAPPENED IN THIS MANNER FOR MORE THAN A QUARTER CENTURY.

DAVID SCHULTZ IS BACK.

HE TEACHES POLITICAL SCIENCE AT HAMLINE UNIVERSITY AND IS ALSO AN ADJUNCT LAW PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.

HAS TRUMP BASICALLY RESHAPED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY?

>> WELL, HE HAS AT THIS POINT.

AND IT'S WITHOUT GETTING ANY KIND OF FORMAL AUTHORITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS.

I MEAN, AS WE KNOW, OR PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, APPROPRIATIONS POWER IN THE CONSTITUTION IS TEXTUALLY COMMITTED TO CONGRESS.

BUT WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE NOW IS SIGNIFICANTLY GIVEN THE PRESIDENT EFFECTIVELY ALL KINDS OF BUDGETARY POWER BY RESCISSION, BUT ALSO BY REALLY NOT SECOND-GUESSING IM AS WE'VE SEEN FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS IN TERMS OF LAYOFFS, REFUSING TO SPEND MONEY AND SO FORTH LIKE THAT.

SO IT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.

AND THE REASON WHY THIS IS ALSO KIND OF INTERESTING, IF WE THINK ABOUT HISTORIANS WOULD TELL US AND WHAT POLITICAL SCIENTISTS WOULD TELL US IS THAT OUR CONSTITUTION WAS BUILT ON THE PREMISE OF FEAR.

FEAR THAT ONE PERSON, ONE PARTY, ONE DEPARTMENT, ONE AGENCY'S GOING TO HAVE TOO MUCH POWER.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS.

SEPARATION OF POWER, CHECKS AND BALANCES.

IT'S JUST NOT WORKING VERY WELL RIGHT NOW, AND THE REASON WHY IS THAT OUR FRAMERS WERE HOPING THAT SOMETHING CALLED POLITICAL PARTIES AND PARTISANSHIP WOULDN'T EMERGE AND THAT'S REALLY SORT OF CAUSING THE PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: YEAH, THREATENED MEMBERS OF HIS OWN PARTY IF THEY DIDN'T GO ALONG WITH THE RESCISSION.

AND I'M WONDERING, WHAT DOES THIS FOREBODE FOR 26 '28, OTHER BUDGET ESSIONS PERHAPS?

>> WELL, CLEARLY TRUMP HAS ALREADY SAID AT THIS POINT HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE RESCISSIONS RIGHT NOW BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEW FISCAL YEAR.

BUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO POSSIBLY MEAN AT THIS POINT IS THAT HE REALLY GETS TO DICTATE THE BUDGETARY PROCESS.

WHAT'S INTERESTING, ROUGHLY 1976 THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A BUDGET TO CONGRESS AND IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS DOA, DEAD ON ARRIVAL.

TO A LARGE EXTENT NOW I THINK TRUMP IS GOING TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE BUDGET PROCESS AND BASICALLY DICTATE SPENDING, AT LEAST FOR NOW.

AT LEAST FOR NOW.

NOW, CLEARLY WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS BUT SO LONG AS SHE'S GOT THE HOUSE AND SENATES I THINK HE HAS FREE REIGN TO DO WHAT HE WANTS.

>> IS CONGRESS WILLINGLY DOING THIS OR REPUBLICAN SIDE KIND OF A POLITICAL FEAR OF TRUMP'S ABILITY TO DICTATE ELECTIONS?

AND IS IT A SITUATION WHERE IF IT WASN'T TRUMP AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE VOTES THEY WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS STUFF, RIGHT?

>> I THINK SO.

I THINK A LOT OF IT REALLY IS CULT OF PERSONALITY, T'S REALLY THE GRIP THAT TRUMP HAS ON HIS BASE AND ON THE PARTY.

INCLUDING INSTILLING THIS FEAR INTO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

AND WHAT'S REALLY KIND OF INTERESTING, THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE VOTES THAT HAVE HAPPENED RECENTLY IS THAT IN MANY SITUATIONS THESE ARE VOTES THAT REPUBLICANS ARE TAKING THAT ARE GOING TO HURT THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND YOU WILLED THINK THE THEORY OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY WOULD SAY, GOSH, GOT TO REPRESENT MY CONSTITUENTS FIRST BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS THAT PARTISANSHIP AND LOYALTY TO THE PRESIDENT IS REALLY IN SOME SENSE OVERPOWERING THE BASIC CONCEPT OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY BACK TO YOUR OWN DISTRICT.

>> Cathy: I WONDER WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE MIDTERMS AND I ASK THAT BECAUSE HAKEEM JEFFRIES SENT OUT AN E-MAIL TODAY AS A MATTER OF FACT THROUGH THE DCCC SAYING DEMOCRATS LEAD IN TERMS BY A PERCENTAGE POINT IN SOME RECENT POLL THAT SHOWS PEOPLE ARE JUST NOT HAPPY WITH WHAT'S GOING ON.

IT'S NOT -- LEADING BY NOT BY MUCH, THOUGH.

YEAH.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

A COUPLE THINGS HERE FIRST IS THAT THE DEMOCRATS STILL NEED TO HAVE AN LTERNATIVE MESSAGE.

AS I ALWAYS SAY THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE VOTERS FOR GRANTED AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE, WHAT, A CANDIDATE MESSAGE AND STRATEGY.

SECOND IS THAT THERE'S NOT THAT MANY SEATS IN PLAY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

TRADITIONALLY IT USED TO BE 26 SEATS WOULD SHIFT, NOWHERE WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT NO MORE THAN A DOZEN SEATS THAT ARE IN PLAY.

>> Eric: SUPREME COURT'S ROLE IN THIS, I SEE THEY DID OKAY THE ABOLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALTHOUGH A BILLION DOLLARS OR SO HAS BEEN RESTORED FOR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

>> YEAH, THE SUPREME COURT AT THIS POINT UNFORTUNATELY IS COMING DOWN 6-3 IN A VERY PARTISAN WAY AND EVEN BEYOND HOW IT MIGHT BE PLAYING OUT IN TERMS OF PRESIDENT VERSUS CONGRESS, INCREASINGLY IT'S LOOKING LIKE AS I SAY TO MY STUDENTS A BUNCH OF POLITICIANS WEARING ROBES AND THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE LEGITIMACY OF THE COURT.

BUT REALLY THE COURT IS ON THE SIDE OF DONALD TRUMP RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN SITUATION IS INTERESTING.

THE PRESIDENT IS CALLING IT A HOAX.

HOW MUCH OF A QUAGMIRE IS THIS FOR TRUMP?

>> DURING THE SUMMER WHEN THERE'S NOT MUCH GOING ON IN THE NEWS CYCLE IT'S A BIG ISSUE AT THIS POINT.

IN SOME SENSE HESE ARE CONSPIRACY THEORIES CREATED BY DONALD TRUMP AND OTHERS AND NOW THEY'RE COMING TO CONSUME HIM AT LEAST FOR PART OF HIS BASTE.

IT KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THE PIZZA GATE STORY MANY MANY YEARS AGO, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT ONE BASICALLY CONSUMED EVERYBODY FOR A WHILE.

HERE DONALD TRUMP WILL PROBABLY ESCAPE THIS IN THE WAY THAT HE'S ESCAPED A LOT OF OTHER CONTROVERSIES BUT HE IS IN THE PROCESS OF LOSING SOME POLITICAL CAPITAL WITH PART OF HIS BASE.

>> Cathy: MIGHT THIS BE THE FIRST BIG CRACK, THOUGH >> IT IS A FIRST CRACK AT THIS POINT.

HOW MUCH OF THIS IS TEMPORARY VERSUS MORE LONG LASTING, I DON'T KNOW.

BUT CERTAINLY HE'S GOT TO GOAL WITH SOME PROBLEMS HERE AND PAM BONDI, HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL, IS REALLY IN A FIX AT THIS POINT.

>> Eric: WE GOT YOU ON SPEED DIAL.

THANKS VERY MUCH.

>> SURE, NO PROBLEM.

MY PLEASURE.

>> Cathy: GOOD TO SEE YA.

TAKE CARE.