Iran, Minnesota, Venezuela, and 2026

About this episode

The hosts discuss various current events including protests in Iran, a thwarted terrorist attack, and daycare funding fraud in Minnesota as they welcome the year 2026.

Happy 2026 to all friends of Sirens! Loren, Radha, and Erin are truly astonished at the pace of news in their mid-winters nap and gab for an extended drill to cover new Hatch Act procedures, protests in Iran, the thwarted terrorist attack on NYE, the drastic decrease in financial crime fines in 2026, and Netanyahu's visit (also, Andy and Anderson's NYE, of course). While Venezuela could be an entire episode series unto itself, we augment with another dumpster fire: what exactly the daycare funding fraud allegations mean in Minnesota and how they may impact the entire theory of change of federalism. For Warning Signs, we offer what we're looking for and at ain 2026, and suggest some resolutions for American institutions in 2026.

People in this episode

Hosts: Loren DeJonge Schulman, Radha Iyengar Plumb, Erin Simpson

Topics covered

• Hatch Act procedures
• protests in Iran
• terrorism
• financial crime
• daycare funding fraud
• federalism
• American institutions

Keywords

• Hatch Act
• Iran protests
• terrorist attack
• financial crime
• daycare funding fraud
• Minnesota
• Venezuela
• 2026

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Iran, Minnesota, Venezuela

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