Sen. Mark Kelly’s ‘Illegal Orders’ Warning; Why Plastics Are "Poison"; Republicans and Health Care; Shop Listener 2025: Face-to-Face

On today's show:

• Senator Mark Kelly appeared in a video alongside other veterans now serving in Congress, telling service members, “Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders.” The Pentagon has since opened an investigation and even raised the possibility of recalling him to active duty for potential discipline. Zachary Cohen, senior reporter on the national security beat for CNN, talks about what Kelly said, why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the probe, and how this all fits into other Pentagon headlines this week, including reports of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats.
  
  
• Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, professor at Bennington College and former EPA Region 2 administrator and author of the new book The Problem with Plastics: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late (The New Press, 2025), discusses her new book which takes a look at how plastic went from being a "marvel of modern science" to a toxic industry that pollutes the environment and impacts health, plus tips on how to reduce everyday exposure to plastics.
  
  
• With Pres. Trump sending mixed signals on extending ACA subsidies, and Republicans split over the issue, Jonathan Cohn, writer at The Bulwark and the author of The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage (St. Martin's Press, 2021), talks about the negotiations and where the conflicts lie.
  
  
• Shop Listener is back for the 2025 holiday season. Listeners call in to shout out their in-person holiday shopping opportunities (craft fairs, pop-ups, brick & mortar stores) for a Brian Lehrer Show listener-sourced gift guide.

Transcripts are posted to each segment as they become available.