Podcast appearances and mentions of Brianna Wu

Today's disagreement is about transgender health care for young people and the future of the trans rights movement.Gender Affirming Care is a method of treating gender dysphoria by affirming a child's gender identity and tailoring medical and social interventions around this identity. This might begin with a social transition and often leads to a medical protocol that involves puberty blockers and then cross sex hormones.Almost a year ago, we had a conversation with leading national clinicians, Dr. Jack Drescher and Dr. Erica Anderson about the state of gender affirming care for young people in the United States. If you haven't listened to that episode, I highly recommend it as a helpful primer for this conversation. Since then, a lot has changed in the conversation about trans care for young people.In April 2024, the Cass report came out in the UK. It is one of the most thorough reviews of the evidence base for gender-affirming care. It also called into question the limits of what we know and don't know about care for minors. Right now, 27 states have enacted laws to ban or restrict the practice and the supreme court will be ruling on it later this year. And the United States has a new presidential administration who recently issued the executive order: “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation," which attempts to put forth a national ban on gender affirming care.We ask some important questions around gender affirming care and the trans rights movement. Have trans advocates and medical practitioners overstated the quality of the evidence base for gender-affirming interventions for minors?Brianna Wu is a political commentator and trans rights activist. She is executive director of the progressive Rebellion PAC.Dr. Marci Bowers is a pelvic and gynecological surgeon with more than three decades of experience in healthcare. Dr. Bowers was most recently the president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). She was the organization's first transgender president.Thank you to Brianna and Marci for coming together to have this critical conversation. It's a difficult topic and as you'll hear, a difficult conversation. But we need more of this. We need more people willing to come together and have hard conversations out in the open, and we really appreciate you both.This conversation is pretty “in the weeds” when it comes to youth gender medicine and the state of the research. If you have the context, that's great – you can skip ahead. If you don't, here is a highly efficient glossary:WPATH is the leading trans health organization in the world. Its “Standards of Care” or SOC - have served as the national guidelines for youth gender medicine in most gender clinics.The Standards of Care have evolved a great deal over time: SOC 6, published in 2001, required multiple psychological assessments and a period of Real Life Experience (RLE), living as the preferred gender, before any medical interventions. The most recent SOC, SOC 8, was published in 2022. It removed many of these requirements which activists have described as “gatekeeping.”The Dutch Protocol, also known as “watchful waiting”, is a more conservative alternative to gender-affirming care. It focuses on providing large amounts of psychological support and monitoring during childhood. If the dysphoria continues to persist, then putting young people on puberty blockers and cross sex hormones in late adolescence.Language around gender identity is constantly evolving. Brianna uses the term FTM (or Female to Male) to describe females who transition. For the same demographic, Marci uses “transmasculine.”We also talk about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS).Okay, that will hopefully create a solid foundation. Take a deep breath. Open your mind as far as it's willing to go. And prepare for a different kind of conversation on gender affirming care and the future of the trans rights movement.Recommended Reading and ListeningWPATH Standards of Care Version 8Last year's episode of The Disagreement about gender-affirming care: https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/12-gender-affirming-care-for-children-and-adolescents/id1735027795?i=1000658885782

Following up on our June 2021 episode What If We Win? the Dorx ask whether we have won the gender wars yet. While discussing weak arguments, bad journalism, wrong pronouns, diversity of tactics, tolerance, metallurgy, the responsibility of power, and Cori's “boys,” still more questions arise: Why are people who know better still referring to men as women? Who coddles the coddlers? Is a Liberal's true authentic self an Authoritarian? How do you pronounce “Maori”? Listen to this episode for answers, and remember to STAY MARGINAL!Links:What If We Win? Heterodorx June 2021 episode: https://www.heterodorx.com/podcast/episode-21-what-if-we-win/Blocked & reported Zizians episode: https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/episode-247-the-zizians-reign-ofInformed Dissent podcast on Brianna Wu: https://informeddissentpodcast.substack.com/p/episode-12-the-babies-are-in-chargeNina's Tweet about pronouns: https://x.com/ninapaley/status/1893348769053254076Conservative NZ church hakka disrupts Pride parade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjP-L8acU8&ab_channel=AllBlacksRumspringa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumspringa Get full access to Heterodorx Podcast at heterodorx.substack.com/subscribe

Former Democratic organizer Brianna Wu joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy for a conversation about her journey from leftist activism to clashing with leftists about antisemitism and the recklessness of transgender politics. Wu opens up on the challenges that come with standing up to one's own tribe, the importance of defending liberal values, and how to think responsibly—and compassionately—about sex and gender. The Agenda: —How Gamergate changed everything —The (de)evolution of progressive politics —October 7 and Jewish mothers —Can normie liberalism bridge the partisan divide? —Transgender healthcare vs. transgender politics Show Notes: —The Pros and Cons of 'Queer' (w/ Jamie Kirchick) —Jesse Singal for The Dispatch: How The American Media Distorted the Transgender Debate The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and regular livestreams—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Democratic organizer Brianna Wu joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy for a conversation about her journey from leftist activism to clashing with leftists about antisemitism and the recklessness of transgender politics. Wu opens up on the challenges that come with standing up to one's own tribe, the importance of defending liberal values, and how to think responsibly—and compassionately—about sex and gender.On the Agenda:—How Gamergate changed everything—The (de)evolution of progressive politics—October 7 and Jewish mothers—Can normie liberalism bridge the partisan divide?—Transgender health care vs. transgender politicsShow Notes:—The Pros and Cons of ‘Queer' (w/ Jamie Kirchick)—Jesse Singal for The Dispatch: How The American Media Distorted the Transgender Debate Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Earlier this week on Honestly, Batya Ungar-Sargon, Brianna Wu, and Christopher Caldwell shared their views on President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance's showdown with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, and on the Russia-Ukraine war more generally. Simply put, Batya and Chris made the case that Russia is not an American adversary in the way China is and that Trump's seeming sympathy toward Russian president Vladimir Putin is actually a strategic play to pull Russia away from China and into our orbit. The conversation is provocative. It provoked many of us here at The Free Press. Not all of our listeners agreed with what they heard either. For some, it was frustrating or even angering to hear this perspective. Yes, contrary to popular belief, we do read the comments. And there's been a tremendous amount of debate inside our newsroom about America's new posture regarding Russia and Ukraine, just as there is on all of the most important topics of the day. We think that's our strength. We believe in listening to arguments, in good faith, from people we respect. And if our panel show earlier in the week was dominated by a perspective sympathetic to Trump, today we want to offer a very different perspective from Eli Lake, Free Press reporter and the host of our new podcast, Breaking History. In this episode, Eli explores how a different Republican president—Ronald Reagan—spoke out against Russian aggression. And how his words inspired dissidents from across the Soviet bloc, like the Czech playwright Václav Havel, to lead their own countries to freedom. This is a show that looks to the past to illuminate the present, and we think this episode is especially important right now. So today, Eli Lake on Breaking History. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today's biggest news stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been four days since the diplomatic earthquake went down in the Oval Office between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian president Zelensky. The world is still feeling the aftershocks. In Europe, leaders have been jolted into action. Ukraine's European allies, including British prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron, met in London on Sunday to forge their own peace plan and agree on additional support for Kyiv. In Moscow, officials are celebrating Trump's approach to the conflict—and his foreign policy more generally. “The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” said a Kremlin spokesman. Russian state TV described a new world order with Trump in the White House. In Washington, administration officials have made it clear that it is up to Zelensky to apologize and patch things up if there is any chance of a U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal. “The president believes Zelensky has to come back to the table and he has to be the one to come and make it right,” one official told NBC News. The Zelensky-Trump bust-up—and the war in Ukraine in general—is one of those important subjects where people we respect (including inside The Free Press newsroom) passionately disagree. There are plenty of other outlets that will give you only one strongly expressed view. But it is our conviction that the only way we can get to the truth is by seriously considering multiple perspectives. The differences of opinion start with the question of what, exactly, we all watched on Friday. Were Trump and Vance bullying a besieged ally in public? Or were we watching the White House finally stand up for American taxpayers? Then there are the bigger questions: Is Trump's Ukraine policy a long-overdue acknowledgment of the limits of American power? Or an unforced error that endangers not just America's allies but America itself? And what are the chances of peace with honor for Ukraine? Today we've brought together a group of people who answer those questions quite differently: Free Press columnist Batya Ungar-Sargon, Democratic fundraiser and strategist Brianna Wu, and special guest Christopher Caldwell, author of multiple books, including The Age of Entitlement. Both Batya and Christopher have pieces up in The Free Press right now: “Zelensky's Trumpian Trick” by Christopher Caldwell, and “What Average Americans Think of Trump's Showdown with Zelensky” by Batya Ungar-Sargon.  Other must-reads in The Free Press: "Trump's Foreign Policy Revolution" by Matthew Continetti "J.D. Vance's Fighting Words—Against Me and Ukraine" by Niall Ferguson "A Fiasco in the Oval Office" by Eli Lake "Ten Reasons for the Zelensky-Trump Blowup" by Victor Davis Hanson "What Zelensky Can Learn from Netanyahu" by Michael Oren Header 6: The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today's biggest news stories.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past year, right-wing parties across the West have been sweeping elections. Donald Trump in the United States, Argentina's Javier Milei, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, and now Germany. On Sunday, 83 percent of Germans went to the polls—the highest turnout since the Cold War. The Christian Democrats, the country's center-right party led by Friedrich Merz, won. But that's not the big story. The big story is that the right-wing populist party, the AfD, came in second place with nearly 21 percent, the strongest showing since WWII. There is a single reason why. It's not the economy. It's not the war with Russia. It's not climate change. It's immigration. And I'm not talking about jobs or wage deflation. I'm talking about the fact that over the past decade, Germany has seen a net migration of 5 million people, with more than 1 million of the new arrivals coming from Syria and Afghanistan. And the rifts have been palpable. And here, I'm choosing two examples from just last week: An Afghan migrant suspect rammed a car through a crowd of people. Thirty-nine people, including several children, were injured. Just the day before the election, a Syrian migrant became the lead suspect for a stabbing outside of the Holocaust memorial. This all fundamentally tests the limits of assimilation and multiculturalism. The dynamic here is the same that has characterized many Western nations. The center-left and the left have ignored the problem. And the right has named it—and filled the vacuum. As Michael Sandel has put it: “Fundamentalists rush in where liberals fear to tread.” If there's a line that captures the politics of our era, it is that. Last week, the very question of whether migrants can adopt pluralism and Western ideals was also put to Australians, after two Sydney nurses went viral when caught on camera saying that they would kill Israeli patients that came into their hospital. One nurse was an Afghan refugee. Here to unpack it all is Free Press columnist Batya Ungar-Sargon, Democratic fundraising powerhouse Brianna Wu, and the founder of Quillette, Claire Lehmann. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today's biggest news stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PREDICT who will be more persuasive in THIS debate here at Manifold: https://manifold.markets/ModernDayDebate/should-transchildren-be-able-to-tra This debate is sponsored by  @AtheistsforLiberty , an organization devoted to preserving debates & dialogues between groups! Atheists for Liberty can be found here: https://linktr.ee/atheistsforliberty LINKS TO GUESTS: https://x.com/BriannaWu  @Witsit  Interested in debating on Modern-Day Debate? Here's a list of things we ask for from potential debaters when they email to make things go faster: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kdwtQrA7QevNev9Mjm4xKvHnTkJ7FY-rMLjqUhtZKmI/edit?usp=sharing At Modern-Day Debate (MDD), our vision is to provide a neutral debate platform so everyone has their fair shot to make their case on a level playing field. Consider joining our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/ModernDayDebate ) or our channel as a member. Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ModernDayDebate __________________________________________________________________ Modern Day Debate Discord: https://discord.gg/ModernDayDebate If James is hosting, the intro song will always be: MDD Theme [Featuring Brian & Travis] from Ye24: https://soundcloud.com/templecitystudios / @ThomCaliche If Ryan is hosting, you have to ask him what song is playing. _______________________________________________________________________________ RULES FOR CHAT -Chats flagrantly disrespectful toward speakers will receive a warning. *Attack the ideas instead of the person. -Chatters continuing the disrespect after a warning will be banned. -Chatters violating YouTube TOS are banned immediately. ______________________________________________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER The views shared by guests on Modern-Day Debate are not necessarily representative of the views of Modern-Day Debate, James, or any university he has or has had any affiliation with. I'm (James) a Christian. If you ever want prayer or just someone to talk to (specifically over voice chat on Zoom) after a horrible day, please reach out and let me know. moderndaydebate@gmail.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Living an authentic life has always required a fair amount of courage. But the online world has created an environment in which targeted intimidation and persecution are accepted, and even encouraged too often. Virtual bullying is especially vicious when directed at folks with marginalized identities. One woman has worked hard to thrive online and off, despite the risks involved.  On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Brianna Wu to discuss her journey to wholeness following abuses she suffered as a result of the high-profile hate-infused hashtag campaign known as Gamergate, as well as coming out publicly as a trans woman. Brianna shares candid insights regarding the challenge of maintaining equanimity amid the ongoing barrage of hostilities, the nonlinear work of healing from childhood trauma, and the rewards of living with integrity.  About Brianna Wu: Brianna Wu is a former videogame developer turned politico. Best known for the 2014 Gamergate scandal where women in the game industry were targeted with extreme harassment, Wu ran for congress and is the host of Dollcast. Learn More: Dollcast Rebellion Pac X To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma *** SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal.  The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. We want to connect with you! Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter Instagram @complextraumatrainingcenter LinkedIn YouTube  

It's Trump's third week in office and there is no shortage of news to report. Last week, RFK Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard advanced in their congressional confirmation hearings for Health and Human Services secretary, FBI director, and Director of National Intelligence, and criticisms of Gabbard resurfaced over her meeting with former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2017, and over her defense of Edward Snowden—who she refused to call a traitor. Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United States, making him the first foreign leader invited to the new Trump White House. At a press conference with President Trump, he looked like the dog that caught the car when Trump announced that the U.S. would take control of Gaza, and that the 1.7 million people living there would be resettled elsewhere.  Trump also issued an executive order imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid programs, which totaled around $70 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, Kanye has gone nuts again; Trump backed DOGE's cost-cutting efforts and said Elon would be heading to the Pentagon next, causing shares of defense stocks like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to tumble; and the vibe shift came for the Super Bowl.  To unpack it all today is Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon and political fundraising powerhouse Brianna Wu. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. --- Get $10 for free when you trade $100+ with code HONESTLY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should kids be allowed to transition? Does President Trump's executive order go too far? Transgender Republican Blaire White and moderate trans Democrat Brianna Wu join me for this special bonus episode of the Brad vs Everyone podcast to hash it all out.

It's President Donald Trump's second week in office, and he has wasted no time being the wrecking ball he promised his voters he would be. On Tuesday, he issued a memo freezing trillions of dollars in federal funding, in his attempt to purge the government of “woke ideology,” which was followed by chaos and confusion—and ultimately blocked by a federal judge. Earlier in the week, Trump convinced Colombia's President Gustavo Petro to accept deported Colombian migrants—who Petro had turned away from his borders only a day earlier—after Trump threatened a 25-percent tariff on Colombian imports to the U.S.  Back in Congress, the Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense in a dramatic tie-breaking vote cast by a hurried J.D. Vance who showed up just in the nick of time. Meanwhile, RFK Jr. is currently having his highly anticipated confirmation hearing to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Just as that began, Caroline Kennedy—the only surviving child of John F. Kennedy—came out Tuesday with a bombshell public denunciation of her cousin, calling him unqualified, “a predator,” and a hypocrite. She also alleged that he used to “put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks.” Can't say we had that on our 2025 bingo card… Finally, the Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek sent tech stocks plummeting on Monday (to the tune of more than $1 trillion) after it rolled out a new app on the U.S. market that is a fraction of the cost of American AI competitors. All of which brought up questions—and panic—about our brewing AI war with China.  To talk about it all, Free Press senior editor Peter Savodnik is joined today by Brianna Wu and FP investigative reporter Madeleine Rowley, who spoke to Hegseth this week about his plans to end diversity, equity, and inclusion in the military. Get $10 for free when you trade $100+ with code HONESTLY: https://kalshi.com/honestly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Monday, and he came out swinging. On his first day, he signed 26 executive orders and rolled back about 80 of former president Joe Biden's executive actions. (For comparison, Biden signed nine executive orders on day one; in 2017, Trump signed one; in 2013, Obama signed zero, and in 2009, just two.) Trump was making good on the promises he campaigned on. On immigration, he's trying to end birthright citizenship. On diversity, equity, and inclusion, he's saying, “You're fired” to federal DEI employees. On trans issues, he signed an order that declares only two genders. And on “America First,” he's saying goodbye to the “Gulf of Mexico” and hello to the “Gulf of America.”  Trump also announced Stargate, gave TikTok a second life, pardoned about 1,500 January 6 rioters, and pulled out of the Paris climate agreement. Suffice it to say, there is much to discuss. Today, Bari Weiss is back with Batya Ungar-Sargon, Brianna Wu, and Free Press senior editor Peter Savodnik to unpack Trump's first week in office and what they think about…Elon's arm. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. The first 500 listeners to sign up will get $10 for free when you trade $100+ with code HONESTLY at https://Kalshi.com/Honestly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump's inauguration is right around the corner, and there is so much to cover about the new White House. In the coming weeks, we'll have key figures in the Trump administration on Honestly to talk about what they are planning. But, we all know that if Trump 2.0 is anything like Trump 1.0, there are going to be a lot of twists and turns here. And we want to analyze and break down each development that unfolds in Trump's new administration. Starting today and for the next few months, we're going to bring you weekly episodes with two of my favorite guests: Batya Ungar-Sargon and Brianna Wu. Batya Ungar-Sargon is a Free Press contributor and the opinion editor at Newsweek. Brianna Wu is a Democratic fundraiser and activist, and in her past life, a video game developer. If you've heard them together on Honestly before, you know that these two come from different sides of the political spectrum, but we really value hearing both of their perspectives, even—or especially—when they disagree. We think you will too. Today, we're going to cover the L.A. fires and their political implications, the civil war inside the MAGA movement between the nationalist populists and the free marketers over H-1B visas, and Mark Zuckerberg's red pill moment and changes at Meta—and the pair give us their predictions for confirmation hearings beginning this week. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 50% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock worldwide perspectives on today's biggest news stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She's a woman of the left. Always considered herself a progressive. She's also a transgender woman. And she had the courage to do the right thing, to call out the dangerous extremes in today's far left. And it's cost her politically & professionally. I can relate. A conversation with @briannawu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comWe've been trying to cover the trans debate from as many sides as possible. So Brianna Wu was an obvious invite to the Dishcast. She is a video game developer and political activist who has run for Congress twice in Massachusetts. She is also a public speaker on issues affecting women in tech and became a central figure in Gamergate. She co-hosts with three other trans women — Kelly Cadigan, TafTaj, and Schyler Bogert — a podcast called Dollcast. She occupies a precarious center: defender of trans rights but opponent of critical gender and queer theory; a trans woman who fully acknowledges she isn't the same in every respect as women; and a fellow spirit trying to seek a middle ground so we can all just get on with our lives. We had a lively “ask a tranny anything” chat. For two clips — on the indoctrination of kids in schools, and the ordeal of medical transition for adults — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: Brianna wanting to be a woman from a very early age; her Christian upbringing in Mississippi; her mother scolding her effeminate hand gestures; dysmorphia; how she prayed to Jesus to be gay; her drug addiction and suicide attempts; postmodernists like Judith Butler; how queer ideology is inherently unstable; the “nonbinary” fad; the need for trans activism to return to liberalism; Virtually Normal and the marriage movement; Brianna “having no illusions” that she's a natal male; how the definition of trans has broadened to a “ludicrous” degree; JK Rowling; trans athletes; the huge spike in girls seeking trans compared to boys; Wu opposing transition for girls until 18; comorbidities like autism and sexual abuse; the swiftness of hormones via Planned Parenthood; the black market for HRT; transing gay kids; Marci Bowers performing Wu's vaginoplasty; Wu opposing Bowers at WPATH; Pope Francis; autogynephilia; right-wing backlash against trans adults; Nancy Mace; the blood libel of “groomer”; the Cass Review; Rachel Levine; death threats against Jesse Singal; the defenestration of Mara Keisling; the cowardice of gay donors; Wu losing friends over her moderate views; and her long marriage to a cis guy.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Mary Matalin on our sick culture, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, John Gray on the state of liberal democracy, Jon Rauch on his new book on “Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy,” Nick Denton on the evolution of new media, and Ross Douthat on how everyone should be religious. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Brianna Wu is a Democratic political activist. She is also a trans woman. I hope you enjoy our conversation about trans policy, what's wrong with the Democratic Party, my political identity, and other current events. I'm not sure you will agree with her opinion on Elon or Trump. I certainly don't. But she did successfully make me think! In other words, she was a great guest!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comWhat the hell just happened in Syria? We asked one of the sharpest scholars on the subject to give us a primer. Aaron Zelin is a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he also directs the “Islamic State Worldwide Activity Map” project. He's also a visiting research scholar in the politics department at Brandeis and the founder of the website Jihadology. His first book is titled Your Sons Are At Your Service: Tunisia's Missionaries of Jihad, and his forthcoming book covers the history of Syrian jihadism. We talk about the entire history of Syria, as it faces what could be a turning point. For two clips of our convo — on the evil of the Assad dynasty, and the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: how Aaron's career was influenced by 9/11 at age 15; becoming an expert on jihadism; St. Paul at Damascus; the Ottoman Empire; the Arab Congress; Syria's independence from France after WWII; the subsequent coups; the Sunni majority in Syria; the rise of the Alawites; the Druze and Christians; the Kurds; the optimism in the ‘60s/‘70s for Arab liberalization; pan Arabism and Nasser; the Muslim Brotherhood; Hafez al-Assad coming to power in 1971; his son Bashar educated in the UK; how a former Nazi for real helped shape the regime; al-Qaeda and bin Laden; the Islamic State; “Baby It's Cold Outside”; the secret police of Syria; the 1982 massacre in Hama; Bashar coming to power in 2000 because of his older brother's early death; Bashar seen as nerdy and uncharismatic; the Damascus Spring; the Iraq War; the rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani; his imprisonment in Abu Ghraib; Zarqawi; the Arab Spring; civil war erupting in Syria in 2011; the Free Syrian Army; the Assad regime torturing kids; the refugee crisis; Russia getting bogged down in Ukraine; Hezbollah and Hamas decimated; Iran on the defense; how the Assad regime collapsed in ten days; and Golani's potential as a reformer.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Brianna Wu on trans lives, Mary Matalin on our sick culture, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, John Gray on the state of liberal democracy, Jon Rauch on his new book on “Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy,” Nick Denton on the evolution of new media, and Ross Douthat on how everyone should be religious. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

The LGBT community is facing massive backlash right now, but moderate trans woman Brianna Wu wants to reclaim the trans community from the insane radicals who are taking it off a cliff. She joins me in this bonus episode of the Brad vs Everyone podcast for a conversation about where the progressive movement has gone too far and how we get back to a sane middle ground.   Follow Brianna on X: https://x.com/BriannaWu   Check out Brianna's podcast: https://x.com/dollcastshow

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comChristine is a columnist for Commentary and a co-host of The Commentary Magazine Podcast. She's also a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a fellow at UVA's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. The author of many books, her new one is The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.For two clips of our convo — on algorithms killing serendipity, and smartphones killing quiet moments — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: the optimism of the early Internet; IRL (In Real Life) experience vs. screen experience; Taylor Swift concerts; the online boon for the physically disabled; Taylor Lorenz and Covid; how IRL improves memory; how emojis improve tone; how screens hinder in-person debate; sociologist Erving Goffman; tourists who never experience a place without an audience; Eric Schmidt's goal of “manufacturing serendipity”; Zuckerberg's “frictionless” world; dating apps; the decline of IRL flirting; the film Cruising; the pornification of sex; Matthew Crawford and toolmaking; driverless cars; delivery robots in LA; auto-checkouts at stores; the loss of handwriting; reading your phone on the toilet; our increased comfort with surveillance; the Stasi culture of Nextdoor; the mass intimacy of blogging; Oakeshott and “the deadliness of doing”; the film Into Great Silence; Christine's time at a monastery in Kentucky; Musk's drive to extend life indefinitely; Jon Haidt and kids' phones; trans ideology as gnosticism; the popularity of podcasts; music pollution in public; the skatepark at Venice Beach; and the necessity of downtime.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Aaron Zelin on the fall of Assad; Brianna Wu and Kelly Cadigan on trans lives and politics, Mary Matalin on our sick culture, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, Nick Denton, and John Gray on the state of liberal democracy. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Brianna Wu and TafTaj discuss the role of transgender issues in the 2024 election, "centrist" trans politics, and their own personal stories.

CBS News refused an interview with Elon Musk on his platform, fearing he would reveal Twitter files evidence that could anger their political friends and donors, despite Musk's commitment to free speech. Blue Sky social media platform has a scoreboard tracking most blocked accounts, with left-wing journalist Brianna Wu topping the list at 655,000 blocks, and the top five accounts accumulating 1.3 million blocks combined. The media industry is imploding, with MSNBC, CNN, and CBS News cratering as public trust in journalism declines due to perceived bias and censorship, resulting in a 48% cut in journalism jobs in 2023. Disney is reportedly planning to cancel The View due to low ratings, with the show's hosts engaging in catty behavior and division, potentially leading to lawsuits. Mainstream media is attempting to discredit citizen journalists and independent outlets by labeling them as fake news, as traditional media faces job losses and declining trust. The media industry is facing significant challenges, including layoffs, declining trust, and audience fatigue, leading to a rise in citizen journalism and echo chambers that hinder open discourse. 00:00 The media industry is experiencing major layoffs and declining trust, with outlets like Vox, CNN, and CBS News facing financial struggles. 01:59 K Nas has laid off at least 14 top executives and GQ staff, indicating struggles with revenue in the challenging digital publishing landscape. 03:09 Condé Nast's layoffs, including GQ staff, highlight ongoing financial struggles and a broader decline in the media industry. 05:11 People are increasingly distrustful of the media, prompting a rise in citizen journalism, highlighted by CBS's refusal to interview Elon Musk to control his narrative. 06:52 Journalists are becoming more cautious in interviews, prioritizing narrative over truth, leading to growing public distrust in media due to perceived censorship. 09:28 Major media outlets are losing viewership amid audience fatigue, while a user was banned from Blue Sky, showcasing the platform's far-left bias. 11:02 Blue Sky is becoming an echo chamber where users celebrate blocking dissenting voices, mirroring the issues of old Twitter. 12:27 People trapped in their echo chambers will remain oblivious to reality, so it's best to let them stay in their simulated world while the rest move on.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comDavid is a historian, a journalist, and an old friend. He was managing editor and acting editor of The New Republic, a history columnist in the early days of Slate, and a contributing editor to Politico Magazine. He's currently a professor of History and of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers. The author of many books, including Republic of Spin and Nixon's Shadow, his new one is John Lewis: A Life.For two clips of our convo — on Lewis defending MLK from a sucker-punch by a white thug, and Lewis getting into an ugly political race against a friend — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: David and me in the old TNR days; Rick Hertzberg; Freud's theories on homosexuality; conversion therapy and Bill Kristol's conference on it; how David's new book isn't a hagiography; Lewis' poor upbringing in rural Alabama; his boyhood obsession with books and religion; preaching to chickens; inspired by a radio sermon by MLK; experiencing Jim Crow up-close; respectability politics; the CRA of 1964; Lewis as head of SNCC; getting to know JFK, RFK, and LBJ at a young age; non-violence as a core value; the voting rights campaign in Selma; the violent clash with cops at the bridge; the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the Black Power movement; BLM and George Floyd; Lewis' wife giving him the confidence to run for office; Marion Barry; Julian Bond and his cocaine habit; colorism; how Lewis was “shockingly early” to support gay rights; his bond with Bayard Rustin; staying vigilant on voting rights in the 1990s; their evolving nature in the 21st Century; his campaign for the African-American History Museum; skepticism toward the Congressional Black Caucus; the flawed documentary Good Trouble; AOC and Ayanna Pressley; Lewis the Big Tent Democrat; switching his ‘08 support from Hillary to Barack; his viral moments of dancing and crowd-surfing; and keeping his integrity over a long career in politics.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Christine Rosen on humanness in a digital world, Brianna Wu on trans lives and politics, Mary Matalin on anything but politics, Nick Denton, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, and John Gray on the state of liberal democracy. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Send us a textIn the wake of October 7th the battle lines were drawn not just in the Middle East, but around the world. And while many progressives decided to pin their flag to Hamas, there were those that realized a terror army committing atrocities wasn't the cause they wanted to fight for.Eylon sits down with Brianna Wu, the Executive Director of Rebellion Pac, a software developer and Democratic political operative. Trans activist, queer, progressive and in a minority among her circles as a friend of Israel. Together they discuss the growing madness of progressive causes rooting for the violence and hatred of Hamas. The Queers for Palestine movement and how people can root for a movement that wishes them dead. And the war being battled online for the hearts and minds of the next generation of Americans.Co-Creator and Host - Eylon LevyCo-Creator and Creative Director - Guy RossExecutive Producer - Asher Westropp-EvansGraphics - Thomas GirschEditor/Assistant Director - Benny GoldmanStay up to date at:https://www.stateofanationpodcast.com/X: https://twitter.com/stateofapodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofapod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/state-of-a-nation

Today on Rising, Robby Soave and Niall Stanage discuss Special Counsel Jack Smith's decision to drop the cases looming against Donald Trump. GOP strategist Melik Abdul weighs in on Trump's billionaires cabinet. CEO of Rebellion PAC Brianna Wu discusses Rep. Nancy Mace's (R-S.C.) anti-transgender bathroom bill. Walmart slashes DEI policies. This and more. #rising  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comReihan is a writer and the president of the Manhattan Institute. Before that he was the executive editor of National Review and worked at publications as varied as the NYT, The Atlantic, National Affairs, Slate, CNN, NBC News, and Vice. He's the author of Melting Pot or Civil War? and Grand New Party — a 2008 book he co-wrote with Ross Douthat that pushed a policy program for a GOP connected to the working class. He was also my very first assistant on the Daily Dish, editing the Letters page, over two decades ago.For two clips of our convo — on finding “Americanness” out of immigrant diversity, and Trump vs the education system — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: Reihan's upbringing in Brooklyn; his immigrant parents (who both worked two jobs) and his older sisters from Bangladesh; how cities are enlivened by legal immigration; the formative role of TNR and the Dish for a young Reihan; the role of reader dissent in blogging; epistemic humility; Burke; Oakeshott; how outsiders often observe subcultures more accurately; the self-confidence of assimilation; Arthur Schlesinger's The Disuniting of America; meritocracy; the PC movement of the early ‘90s; marriage equality; gay assimilation; victimhood culture and its self-harm; the love of one's homeland; Orwell; Thatcher's mature view of trade-offs and “vigorous virtues”; Bill Clinton; Obama's view of red states and blue states; the importance of storytelling in politics; Trump's iconic images in 2024; his trans ads; his multiracial coalition; the self-flagellation of woke whites; John Oliver and Jon Stewart; Seth Moulton and the woke backlash; how Harris might have won by acknowledging 2020 overreach; Eric Kaufmann and sacralization of victim groups; The 1619 Project; the failure of blue city governance; Reagan Democrats and Trump Democrats; the indoctrination in higher ed; the government's role in curriculum; DEI bureaucracy; SCOTUS vs affirmative action; the American Rescue Plan and inflation; elite disconnect from higher prices and higher migration; October 7, Zionism; and the ordeal of consciousness.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: David Greenberg on John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, Brianna Wu on trans lives and politics, Mary Matalin on anything but politics, Christine Rosen on humanness in a digital world, and John Gray in the new year on the state of liberal democracy. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com“I didn't transition to replace cis women in sports,” begins Brianna Wu, the straight-shooter who chats with Sarah and Nancy this week. “I transitioned because I wanted to get along.” Joined by Kelly Cadigan, who co-hosts their new podcast “Dollcast,” both women talk openly about the frustration of watching the trans civil rights conversation hijacked by extremists, pitting people against each other. We discuss how the election may have been affected by the trans issue, the challenge of integrating trans women into sports, and what a more sane approach to dealing with trans minors might look like.Also discussed:* The newest member of Sarah's family* Gamergate* Brianna just wants to have lunch uptown* Vaginoplasty, actually rare among trans women* “You do not want to know me without HRT”* The nonbinary phenomenon* “I don't have any delusions I'm a biological woman, just admit I'm a kind of woman, albeit a weird one.”* 15 is terrible for every girl!* “It's dangerous for me to out myself.”* Who drank the Zionism super-serum?Plus, the conundrum of granting grace, the hope that we've reached a reset on conversations, the sexiness of Seth Moulton, and more!

Brianna Wu is Executive Director of Rebellion Pac, former candidate for US House in MA and a software engineer. *Follow Brianna on X: https://x.com/BriannaWu | Buy gold and earn interest on it! https://monetary-metals.com/triggernometry/ | Munk Debates - become a member for free at https://munkdebates.com * Sponsor: Protect your home with 60% off any new SimpliSafe system. Go to https://SIMPLISAFE.COM/TRIGGER Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Shop Merch here - https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media:  https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry:  Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's staff picks for his upcoming administration have begun to be announced, raising more than a few eyebrows on either side of the political spectrum. Former adversaries such as Marc Rubio are set to enter Trump's employ, along with veteran and Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.Suffice it to say, the team Trump is building appears to be a broad church, which makes it even more difficult for his detractors to label him as a chauvinist bigot; though of course, they still try. Coming onto Uncensored today is host of 'The Rubin Report' Dave Rubin, host of 'The David Pakman Show' David Pakman, host of 'No Lie with Brian Tyler-Cohen' Brian Tyler-Cohen, podcast and radio host Ben Ferguson, Democratic activist Brianna Wu and member of DNC Finance Committee Lindy Li. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States. . . again. It was a historic political comeback for a candidate rejected by the people just four years ago. But this time, Trump took almost every coveted state: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. And he leads in Nevada and Arizona. The entire blue wall. . . turned red. And unlike 2016, this was not just an Electoral College victory. Surprising pollsters and betting markets alike, Trump also won the popular vote. To top it off, Republicans took control of the Senate, gaining four seats, and maybe more by the time this episode airs. Simply put, it was a red landslide.  It is extremely rare in our history for a president to come back after losing a reelection bid so badly. In fact, Trump's rebound is bigger than Nixon's—bigger than Napoleon's in 1815.  And yet it happened on Tuesday night with the most flawed candidate American politics has ever seen. How did he do it? If you were only watching cable news over the last few years, you would be shocked by the outcome. But if you had been reading The FP, you probably were not surprised. Yes, Kamala had the support of Beyoncé, Oprah, Taylor Swift, and almost every A-lister with a pulse. She outraised Trump by around $600 million. She was endorsed by industry leaders in science and economics. But it's been clear for some time now that the Democrats do not have the buy-in or trust of the American people. FP senior editor Peter Savodnik said it best: “They didn't lose because they didn't spend enough money. They didn't lose because they failed to trot out enough celebrity influencers. They lost because they were consumed by their own self-flattery, their own sense of self-importance.” Still, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CNN and MSNBC tried to explain away Trump's appeal, and the profound failure of the left, with accusations that the American people are the ones to blame. But those explanations are not right.  As exit polls came in, Trump showed strength with black and Latino voters. CNN exit polls showed he won about 13 percent of black voters (up from 8 percent in 2020) and 45 percent of Latino voters (up from 32 percent last election). It shows a massive pickup. He won among voters who make less than $100,000. And compared to 2020, Trump improved in cities, in rural areas, in suburbs. . . . as CNN's John Berman put it: “It's kind of an everywhere improvement.”   Here today to make sense of it all is FP contributor and Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon, pundit and political powerhouse Brianna Wu, and FP Senior Editor Peter Savodnik.  We reflect on why Democrats lost so dramatically and decisively; how Trump's comeback happened, despite an impeachment, being found guilty of sexual assault, and 116 indictments; how Trump found success with black and Latino voters; what the next four years might look like with Trump returning to the White House; and if this will be a wake-up call for Democrats.  If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comMusa is a sociologist and writer. He's an assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. His first book is We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. He also has a great substack, Symbolic Capital(ism).For two clips of our convo (recorded on October 9) — how “elite overproduction” fuels wokeness, and the myth of Trump's support from white voters — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: raised in a military family; a twin brother who died in Afghanistan; wanting to be priest; his stint as an atheist; converting to Islam; how constraints can fuel freedom; liquid modernity; going to community college before his PhD at Columbia; becoming an expert on the Middle East; getting canceled as a professor because of Fox News; his non-embittered response to it; engaging his critics on the right; my firing from NY Mag; the meaning of “symbolic capitalism”; how “white privilege” justifies the belittling of poor whites; deaths of despair; the dilution of terms like “patriarchy” and “transphobe”; suicide scare tactics; fairness in sports; books on wokeness by Rufo, Kaufmann, Caldwell, and Hanania — and how Musa's is different; Prohibition and moralism; Orwell's take on cancel culture; the careerism of cancelers; the bureaucratic bloat of DEI; “defund the police”; crime spiking after June 2020; the belief that minorities are inherently more moral; victim culture; imposter syndrome and affirmative action; Jay Caspian Kang's The Loneliest Americans; Coates and Dokoupil; Hispanic and black males becoming anti-woke; Thomas Sowell; and the biggest multi-racial coalition for the GOP since Nixon.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Damon Linker on the election results, Anderson Cooper on grief, David Greenberg on his new bio of John Lewis, Christine Rosen on humanness in a digital world, and Mary Matalin on anything but politics. Sadly Peggy Noonan can't make it on the pod this year after all. We tried! And a listener asks:Is Van Jones still coming on the show? You said he was going to, and now his upcoming interview hasn't been spoken about for the last few episodes.He said he would but his PR team put the kibosh on it. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com. Our episode with Sam Harris last week was a smash hit, driving more new subs than any other guest in a while. A fan writes:I always really like your conversations with Sam Harris. You always seem to bring out the best in each other.A listener dissents:On your episode with Sam Harris — besides the fact that it was an “interview” of you, not him — your insistence that Harris and Biden haven't done anything about immigration needs more investigation. For example, see this new piece in the NYT:The Opinion video above tells the little-known story of how Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris worked behind the scenes to get the border crisis under control. I found that they acted strategically, out of the spotlight, since the earliest days of the administration. They even bucked their own party and fulfilled Republican wishes, though they've gotten little credit for it. Their hard work finally paid off when illegal crossings dropped significantly this year.Sam said toward the end of the episode, “I hope we haven't broken the Ming vase here. … We both want a Harris presidency. … It's the least bad option.” I listen to Kamala all the time, and your rants against her are warranted and should be done, but honestly, the two of you have done more to smash the bloody vase than carry it!I tried to make it through that NYT op-ed video. It's an absurdist piece of administration spin. There was nothing to stop Biden enforcing his 2024 executive order in 2021. He didn't because his core policy is expediting mass migration, not controlling it. As for Harris, it's not my job to be her campaign spokesman. I know a lot of legacy journalists seem to think it's their job to push her over the finishing line. But that has never been my thinking. I'd like both Trump and Harris to lose. But if I had to pick one, it would be Trump. The idea of four years of Harris is soul-sucking.Sam is also putting the episode on his own podcast, so the conversation was intended to be a two-way “interview” — though the Dishcast in general is always meant to be a conversation. On the following clip, a listener writes:You're absolutely right. But this is so obvious, and the fact that Harris can't articulate what would clearly be advantageous to her indicates she is incapable of clearly articulating positions. She's turned out to be the same horrid candidate she was in 2019. Unfortunately.Another writes about that clip, “As a prosecutor she makes a great case against voting for Trump, but she doesn't have the defense attorney skills needed to make the case for herself.” This next listener has an idea for a Sister Souljah moment:Sam asked you what Harris could do in the final stretch, and you both agreed that she needed to show some independence from Biden and also distance herself from the craziness of the woke left. I want to point you to my latest Substack post, which points out an opportunity she currently has to do both in one press conference.In the past couple of weeks, the Biden Justice Department has sued the Maryland State Police, the Durham Fire Department, and the South Bend Police Department over “racially disparate”  employment tests. They are testing skills such as literacy, basic math, and the ability to communicate, all in the context of doing the actual job. The DOJ is calling it discrimination because black people do worse on the test than white people. There is also a physical test where you have to prove you have the minimum level of fitness to do the job, and the DOJ calls that sexist because fewer women are able to pass.This is obviously complete insanity. Anyone but the wokest of the left understand that these jobs require standards, and that implementing any objective standards is likely to have a disproportionate impact on race and gender. While Maryland and Durham quickly settled the suits and signed consent decrees, South Bend is fighting it. South Bend is, of course, the hometown of former mayor Pete Buttigieg. Harris could schedule a campaign event in South Bend with Mayor Pete where she defends the South Bend police and pledges that a Harris administration will drop this suit and not prosecute any similar cases. This could be a “Sister Souljah moment,” as Sam called for. It would also show independence from Biden, since his DOJ has been filing these suits. It could bring the last few undecideds over to her side. Dream on, I'm afraid. This kind of race discrimination and abandonment of objective standards in hiring is at the heart of Harris' leftism. She hasn't renounced it. Au contraire. Here's another clip from the Sam pod:Another listener writes:I happen to subscribe to both the Dishcast and Sam's podcast, so I know you both well. I'm so surprised that you two can't understand the appeal of Trump to one half of the country. Let's be honest and clear: Trump voters care LESS about preserving the system as-is (the peaceful transfer of power) than about RESCUING the nation from the cancer of woke. It is almost completely cultural.Trump supporters despise the anti-white, anti-male, anti-Christian hatred that has been so deeply ingrained into our daily lives. We all live in terror for wrong thought and wrong speech. We feel disgust for being called racist, misogynist, xenophobic — with the knowledge that woke progressives control the apparatus of power in our media, corporations, entertainment, and education. It is cancer when our entire body politic has been so thoroughly invaded by this malignant force.We are sick of this cancer. Sick. Sick. Sick. Kamala is a shill of this force. Her tepid disavowals (and convenient pivot to the center) are not genuine. We know who she is. She protects and metastasizes this cancer into every touchpoint of our lives. Sam says she is “no woke Manchurian candidate,” but he is wrong. Even if he IS right, why should we trust her when she so clearly made her wokeness clear in 2019? We shouldn't.The left is cancer. Trump is radiation. No one wants cancer and no one wants the radiation, but that's where we are.I feel you. I do. It's what makes this election so painful for me. Another listener comments on “the subject of why the Democrats and Harris can't say what the majority of Americans want to hear on issue after issue”:Isn't the fundamental problem very simply that the Overton window of the Democratic Party doesn't allow it? Harris may know that Americans want to hear a defense of fracking, but can a Dem really speak in favor of fracking at a San Francisco dinner party and expect to be invited back? Can a Dem really speak against the trans activist position? Against DEI? Against abuse of asylum rules at the Southern border? Of course not. Those are not acceptable positions in Dem activist and donor circles. Contra what Michelle Goldberg tried to say when she was on your podcast, or what Rahm Emanuel told Sam Harris, the activist position sets the limits of acceptable discourse among Democrats.All of us who live in NPR-listening land know this. I would never say what I actually think about gender revolutionaries at a social gathering in my left-liberal community, because it'd be the last social event I'd ever attend. It might be safe to talk about the need for some actual policing these days — that issue might get a few cautious nods — but everyone in the room would be nervous, because who knows if one of these guests we've never met before who works at a nonprofit is going to turn out to be a social justice activist and trot out “systemic racism” and the carceral state and all the rest of it. Maybe Rahm and Michelle are right that most Democrats don't actually buy most of far-left activist thinking, but that doesn't mean it's okay to disagree. And remember, most Democrats are riddled with guilt about everything: climate change, systemic racism, patriarchy, theft of land from Indigenous peoples … it's all our fault, isn't it? So we need to be humble, check our privilege, and listen to the activists and their moral truths.By the way, I listened to your podcast with Sam only a week after finishing Tom Holland's Dynasty — about Caesar Augustus and his heirs through Nero. I know comparisons between America and ancient Rome can get tiring, but holy s**t: an elite appealing to the masses not as one of them, but as their tribune? Check. Entertainment value winning the day every time over serious speeches by humorless patrician elites? Check. Amusing the plebs by publicly humiliating the most esteemed senators, reducing them to flattery and groveling? Check.  I'm not saying Trump is knowledgeable enough to copy a Caesar's playbook intentionally, but he seems to have stumbled on a remarkably similar (and similarly effective) approach.I have explored the Roman parallels myself. One more listener on the episode:The conversation with Sam Harris was really what we need right now: insightful and often humorous in light of the grave situation we face. It's not Trump I'm afraid of; it's everyone else. If Trump does not win, I fear there will be violence — and he won't even have to call for it this time. Whether it's business or politics, the leader sets the tone, and Trump's tone is angry and permissive of trampling perceived enemies. I don't think it's a stretch to predict self-formed Trump militias springing up as a pretense to defend election integrity, hunt down illegal migrants, or generally “keep order” where another organization has failed to do so. I pray that I'm wrong. Another thing to consider is that if Trump loses, we won't be rid of him. He's controlled the Republican Party and influenced the culture wars for the last four years, and we won't see that endSam brought up Nixon, and it's something I've been thinking a lot about in the Trump years. Watergate — the foolish break-in itself — was nothing compared to what Trump has said and done since 2016, but the scandal took down the president because the public perceived that the president's behavior was reprehensible to the office. Nixon KNEW he lied and had enough integrity to actually resign over it. I was a kid then and can remember how appalled people were by Watergate and thought of Nixon as a disgrace. How things have changed in 50 years.I'm also worried about leftist violence if Trump wins. Another writes, “I thought your episode with Tina Brown was tremendous”:She's an exceptionally astute and admirable woman. I immediately took out a full year to her new substack. It was touching to listen to the account of her model marriage to Harold Evans (I think the Sunday Times was at its greatest when he was the editor). And the description of her autistic son and their time together shows her to be a beautiful, loving mother, as well as a towering intellect.I particularly appreciated the comparison you both made of US to UK politicians:Like you, Andrew, I studied at Oxford in the mid-1980s and always felt that institutions like the Oxford Union (where I saw you, Boris, and Micheal Gove perform, amongst others), and later Prime Minister's Question Time, toughened up UK politicians to a degree that is unheard of in the US. I actually had the pleasure of witnessing Question Time live when Thatcher was PM. What struck me was not only the substantive issues raised during those sessions, but also the sheer brilliance of the repartee. Thatcher gave as good as she got, and she made mincemeat of the Labour opposition. Question Time compared to the deliberations of the fatuous Congress is like comparing Picasso's work to that of a 5-year-old finger painter. It doesn't even bear thinking about how Biden would cope in an environment like that, let alone Trump. Both you and Tina come from that glorious UK debating tradition, and it shines through consistently throughout the episode.My massive disappointment when I first watched the US House and Senate was related to this. So unutterably tedious. Another on the Tina pod:If not too late, perhaps this will offer some help to Tina Brown, as your other listeners have suggested communities for adults with special needs: Marbridge in Austin, TX. Our daughter is only 12 and she has a rare genetic condition that basically means she will not be able to fully integrate into society. We are in the process of learning about opportunities for her to have some level of independence as she ages, if she so desires.Here's a suggestion for a future guest:I'm glad you are gaining new subscribers, but I think it may be time to cull the herd and have on someone who will make the smugs' blood boil. The brilliant and caustic Heather Mac Donald — one of a few prominent conservatives to excoriate Trump for January 6th — is scrupulously honest yet merciless in attacking left-wing hypocrisies on topics ranging from race and policing to the DEI takeover of classical music.She sure is. Amy Wax anyone? Another rec:I know you have quit Twitter somewhat, so I am not sure if you know who Brianna Wu is, but I strongly suggest looking her up. Bari Weiss just interviewed her:I think you and Wu would be absolutely fantastic, and I think you would really like her — as would Dishheads.Yep, great rec — we're already planning to reach out to Wu. Another plug for a trans guest:In case you didn't see it, here's an interesting interview with a trans man, Kinnon MacKinnon, who researches detransition. I found it refreshing to hear someone speak about detransition from an empirical perspective. It's a real phenomenon that to date has either been denied by trans activists or turned into red meat for the right-wing. A fact of logic so often forgotten is that two things can be true at the same time. Thus, adults who are truly trans should be allowed to live the lives they want; AND society should protect children against fervent trans activists who would rush them into radical “gender-affirming care.” The reality of sex (as opposed to gender) needs to be more firmly established in the public's understanding. In short, we need more honest brokers in the discussion about trans issues if we are ever going to find the proper balance between allowing adults to make their own life decisions and respecting biological females on issues where sex (not gender) should be the overriding variable on which to make public policy and healthcare decisions. I don't know if Kinnon MacKinnon is truly an honest broker, but he seems to have potential. Perhaps you could consider him for a Dishcast.I passionately defend the right of trans adults to do whatever they need to make their lives as fruitful as possible. It's children — and children alone — I'm concerned with. On the topic of sex-changes for kids, a frequent dissenter writes:When confronted with evidence that only a minuscule percentage of kids in the US are being prescribed puberty blockers and hormones in the late 2010s, it's an artless dodge to try to reframe the discussion around the experiences of 124 kids who presented at a UK gender clinic in the 1990s, the vast majority of whom never transitioned at all. You cannot use that data to imply that the majority of kids being prescribed puberty blockers in America today are actually gay kids destined for detransition and regret. You are distorting the facts to fit your narrative.Time and time again, the evidence shows that there is no epidemic of “transing” gay youth.

It would have been unthinkable for Brianna Wu to have appeared on Honestly a decade ago (if the show had existed back then). But Brianna isn't most people. I actually can't think of anyone else quite like her. She's a trans woman who advocates passionately for trans healthcare, but thinks many trans activists have alienated women and feminists. She's a progressive who once called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “one of the best politicians in America,” but is today a staunch supporter of Israel. She was cyber-attacked by an alt-right mob during Gamergate, but now thinks the political left acts just like that mob. Brianna says her politics haven't actually changed. Instead, it's the Democratic Party that has morphed. And she says they've become unelectable. But Brianna is not sitting idly by while it runs itself into the ground. She wants Democrats to get back to common sense, kitchen table issues, which is why she's launched a political action committee and is fundraising big time in the 2024 election cycle.  At The Free Press we cover a lot of people whose politics have shifted over the past few years. But very few have experienced that evolution in public in the way that Brianna has. On today's episode, Brianna tells us how Gamergate changed her life, the story of her political evolution, why she is a staunch supporter of Israel, and a critic of niche left causes, and what Democrats risk if they continue to alienate voters.  *** We are calling on all Free Press readers, listeners, commenters, and lurkers: We want to learn more about you and what you're craving from The Free Press. Click here to complete a quick survey to help us make our work better. Plus: Everyone who completes the survey will be entered in a raffle to win Free Press swag. And if you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Googling something on Google, copyright continues to ruin everything, Tenet Media, Gott mit .US, big icks, I never would have guessed Brianna Wu is trans, bicycling across America, diabetes, another cobes in the wall, and Phil doesn't stutter.

We are joined by Brianna Wu, the Executive Director of Rebellion Pac, who proudly calls herself queer, progressive - and a friend of Israel. We discuss growing up in Mississippi, what progressives can learn from Hasidic Jews, the Women's March, Gamergate, being an inspiration for a Law & Order episode, her global ranking as an elite Super Mario 2 Runner - and more!Follow Brianna on XThe famous Law & Order episode based on Brianna's storyBrianna's Super Mario run Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

merritt k (writer) joins the show for the very first time to discuss a rare Bluesky block from video game developer and noted weirdo Brianna Wu. Do not assume the moon is or isn't a tactical battleground. In addition to discussing the moon we also discuss Canada, as merritt has moved back home and that leads to talks of Doug Ford's "Buck a Beer" campaign strategy, No Frills commercials, the racist Trader Joe's logos, catnip, and Dan gets in trouble from his landlord, who watched the show on YouTube and saw something he didn't like. Plus, merritt gets in trouble from zoomers for a tweet, JD Vance visits a donut shop, and babies apparently can't say the word popsicle. If you want a sweet treat, why don't you head on over to patreon.com/blockedparty, where we have tons of them! For just $5/month, you'll get THREE bonus episodes every single month, plus access to our entire back catalogue, access to our Discord, merch discounts, ad-free episodes, AND MORE! Last week, Lane Moore joined us for another great Word Up! episode about the horrible things happening on Cameo, and this week, Libby Watson triumphantly returns to discuss an insane block John had to mete out after an insane Jeopardy! fan came after him and Emily. Don't miss out! merritt k is a writer who is currently working on a video game called Fledgling Manor. You can sign up for the mailing list to get all the news about it over at insecretplaces.com. You can also follow merritt on Twitter at @merrittk. This episode is available in video format on our YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump and Musk host friendly conversation on X after delay from technical difficulties. U.S. intelligence indicates Iran could attack Israel within days. Brianna Wu, Rebellion PAC, talks about how to bring the 2 political parties together. Ferguson officer 'fighting for his life' after Michael Brown protest. Vampire culture. 

EBT outages, Second Wind management, Keffals quits 5eva, Brianna Wu is going to personally end Tipster's entire career, Mr. Beast learns it sucks to suck, MoistCritical gets a full-throated defense for full-throating, Mr. X gets annoyed, Cobes is a single pringle, Muhamamdeens, and Rekita's House.

Theme of the Day: Pointing Out Hypocrisy is Usually Futile, But, Also, Some Things Just Are Not a Good LookWe talk RNC. We talk ICJ ruling on Israel-Palestine: cloud with silver lining or silver with cloudy lining? USA cares not 'bout the ICJ or ICC, just ask Nicaragua, for one. Trump is absolutely not fighting the deep state, is just another neocon in "populist" clothing, and has just chosen the embodiment of the deep state as his running mate and his running mate's puppet master, Peter Thiel by extension. The ceaseless nightmare in Gaza only gets worse, now with polio having emerged from the sewage people were already drowning in there to begin with. Brianna Wu not only hates Palestinians but cannot grasp the message behind Paul Verhoeven's classic film Starship Troopers. A man with the real legal name Mr. Pancakes goes on a possibly PCP and/or meth inspired breaking and entering spree that ends in a Richard Gere rumor styled fashion. Jordan Peterson can't take the heat from the racist dumbass kitchen he built and made his fortune on—the face-eating leopards have come home to roost. Some hip-hop music must now be approved by Uncle Sam before release.Bullet vending machines."The Cancer of Social Media" and the live music performace selfie stickification of our dear diseased culture.Commiserate on Discord: discord.gg/aDf4Yv9PrYSupport: patreon / buzzsproutNever Forget: standwithdanielhale.orgGeneral RecommendationsJosh's Recommendation: "Dress Sexy at My Funeral" by SmogTim's Recommendations: 1) Sorry/Not Sorry 2) SMILF 3) Better ThingsFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningFull list of links, sources, etc More From Timothy Robert BuechnerPodcast: Q&T ARETweets: @ROHDUTCHLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Twitter: @heatdeathpodPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to: heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.comSend us a Text Message.The Nerd InformerOur podacast will talk about aliens, alien abduction, mythical...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the Show.

-- On the Show: -- A panel discussion on the state of the progressive movement in the United States featuring Brianna Wu, Executive Director of Rebellion PAC, Claudia De la Cruz, a community organizer and presidential candidate, and Nomiki Konst, a progressive activist and co-director of Losing Puerto Rico -- Become a Member: https://www.davidpakman.com/membership -- Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/davidpakmanshow -- TDPS Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/thedavidpakmanshow -- Pakman Discord: https://www.davidpakman.com/discord -- David on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidpakmanshow -- Leave a Voicemail: (219)-2DAVIDP

Brianna Wu is a proud Democrat. And she's a courageous Democrat. She's courageously called out the dangerous extremes in the progressive movement. And she's gotten a lot of hate from the left for doing it. I can relate to what Brianna is going thru. We sat down.

If you're new, consider subscribing. Just click here: https://www.youtube.com/@SideScrollersPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Tired of this nonsense? Help Take Games Back: https://www.takegamesback.com/ Mr Grant Gregory: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGaljggE9-omQFhK8wFQ2PQ Madam Savvy: https://x.com/MadamSavvy Smash JT: https://www.smashjt.com/ Mike Alonzo's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mike-alonzos-children-prepare-for-future?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link Get 10% off Craig's new supplement company at https://bluebonnetsupplements.com use promo code "First"

Brianna Wu is a lifelong progressive and the Executive Director of Rebellion PAC (a political action committee) who has previously run for Congress in Massachusetts. A video game developer and computer programmer, Brianna co-founded Giant Spacekat, an independent video game development studio and was the subject of a great deal of harassment during the ‘Gamergate' anti-leftist backlash around 2014/2015. Brianna has recently been the subject of a cancellation campaign following statements made in defence of Israel in the wake of the October 7th terrorist attacks. SPONSOR: Shopify - sign up for a £1 per month trial at https://www.shopify.co.uk/trigger/ SPONSOR: Try Verso's incredible longevity products and get 15% off by using code: TRIGGER at https://buy.ver.so/trigger Verso Scientific References: 1. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.868640/full 2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35844164/ 3. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/6/456 Join our Premium Membership for early access, extended and ad-free content: https://triggernometry.supercast.com OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Music by: Music by: Xentric | info@xentricapc.com | https://www.xentricapc.com/ YouTube: @xentricapc Buy Merch Here: https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Join the Mailing List: https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/#mailinglist Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the video game developer, computer programmer, GamerGate veteran, and aspiring politician “based” for recent statements against antisemitism? To find out, the Dorx invited Wu for an interview that lasted 2-and-a-half hours and is therefore broken into two parts. PART ONE: A friendly conversation about eyebrows, makeup, Zionism, antisemitism, GamerGate, WPATH standards, trans civil rights, binary vs. nonbinary, philosophical questions, the TERF-Tranny Alliance, JK Rowling, holocaust denial, India Willoughby, illiberalism, Media Matters, and the Harry S Benjamin Standards of Care. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heterodorx/support

Is the ⁠video game developer⁠, computer programmer, ⁠GamerGate⁠ veteran, and ⁠aspiring politician⁠ “based” for ⁠recent statements⁠ against antisemitism? To find out, the Dorx invited Wu for an interview that lasted 2-and-a-half hours and is therefore broken into two parts. PART TWO: An increasingly contentious discussion of Jesse Singal, journalistic standards, changing sex, allies, public policies that are cruel to trans people, identity, dehumanization, tolerance, prejudice, the N-word, swastika flags, fringe opinions, cognitive dissonance, cancellation, and the value of trans experience. It's a long listen, but we think this episode gives a definitive answer to the title question. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heterodorx/support

Gamergate or GamerGate (GG)[1] was a loosely organized misogynistic online harassment campaign and a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture.[2][3][4] It was conducted using the hashtag "#Gamergate" primarily in 2014 and 2015.[1][5][6][7] Gamergate targeted women in the video game industry, most notably feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian and video game developers Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu.[8][9][10][11][12]

Rebellion PAC Executive Director Brianna Wu joins Ben Burgis for a conversation to explore their disagreements on Israel/Palestine as well as on the Biden administration's response to the horrors happening there. Before that, we're joined for the opening segment by the one and only RM Brown. (We'll start with Jordan Peterson-on-Elmo for that.) Last but definitely not least, Rayyvana joins us for the postgame for patrons.Read Ben's most recent Jacobin articles on Israel Palestine:https://jacobin.com/2024/03/rights-ancestors-land-israel-palestine&https://jacobin.com/2024/02/new-york-times-anti-palestinian-biasFollow Brianna on Twitter: @BriannaWuFollow RM on Twitter: @xrmbrownx2Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

In this stream Brianna Wu joins to discuss DEI, Hollywood feminism, communism, and America as an arsenal of Democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI GPTs, Humane AI Pin, privacy in cars, Amazon ditching Android OpenAI allowing independent developers to create their own GPTs ("little agents") Agreement between Writers Guild and motion picture producers on use of AI in movies Microsoft investing in OpenAI and implications for cloud services China's investment in AI compared to the US AI appliances like Humane pin and rewindai pendant Dangers of deep fakes and advanced technologies Innovations in pinball like Venom Implications of vehicle data collection for privacy Role of social media in teen mental health Debating investment in Vision Pro, Apple Silicon, M3 Max Controversy around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Amazon ditching Android for own Linux-based OS on Fire TVs Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Brianna Wu, Dan Patterson, and Janko Roettgers Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit nureva.com/twit lookout.com Miro.com/podcast

This week on Blocked and Reported, we reexamine American Bully X. To support the show and get exta content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Brianna Wu:https://twitter.com/headassnic/status/1706955256427626982https://twitter.com/BriannaWu/status/1371452139856392196https://twitter.com/longislandviper/status/1371495816649703425SF Gate: “American bully dogs bred as lovers, not fighters”Bully Watch RebuttalBully Watch.link“Defaming Rover: Error-Based Latent Rhetoric in the Medical Literature on Dog Bites”“English hospital episode data analysis (1998–2018) reveal that the rise in dog bite hospital admissions is driven by adult cases”“Visual Breed Identification: A Literature Review”Note: An earlier version of this episode contained a math error. I said “nine out of 15” when I should have said "11 out of 15.” Still somehow Jesse's fault. It has been updated.—KH This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe