Podcasts about bruenig

Ralph speaks to Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank about the Trump Administration's path of destruction in our federal government. Then, Ralph welcomes legendary public interest lawyer Alan Morrison to discuss the President's authority to impose tariffs and other constitutional questions.Dana Milbank is a nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post. He also provides political commentary for various TV outlets, and he is the author of five books on politics, including the New York Times bestseller The Destructionists and the national bestseller Homo Politicus. His latest book is Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theories and Dunces who Burned Down the House.I shouldn't be amazed, but Mike Johnson never ceases to amaze me with the rapidity with which he'll just drop to his knees whenever Trump says something.Dana MilbankWe're going to know this shortly, but it does appear that Trump's honeymoon may be over in the House as the conservatives finally seem to be finding their backbones. But I've thought that might happen before and then only to find out that they, in fact, they could not locate their backbones. So I don't want to be premature.Dana MilbankTrump seems to be gambling (and the administration seems to be gambling) that ultimately the Supreme Court is going to a wholesale reinterpretation of the Constitution to grant these never-before-seen executive powers, and it's possible that he's right about that. We're not going to know that. There have been a couple of preliminary rulings that seem friendly to Trump, but none of those is final, so we can't really be sure of it.Dana MilbankMy guess is that Chief Justice Roberts is seeing his legacy heading toward the ditch after his decision of Trump v. United States, where he said that Presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted….My guess is he's going to unpleasantly surprise Trump in the coming months.Ralph NaderAlan Morrison is the Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest & Public Service at George Washington Law School. He currently teaches civil procedure and constitutional law, and previously taught at Harvard, NYU, Stanford, Hawaii, and American University law schools. He has argued 20 cases in the Supreme Court and co-founded the Public Citizen Litigation Group in 1972, which he directed for more than 25 years.It's inevitable that even for a non-economist like myself to understand that [the costs of tariffs] are going to be passed on. Other than Donald Trump, I don't think there's anybody who believes that these taxes are not going to be passed on and that they're going to be borne by the country from which the company did the exporting.Alan MorrisonIt's an uphill battle on both the statutory interpretation and the undue delegation grounds, but our position is rather simple: If the Congress doesn't write a statute so that there's something that the government can't order or do, then it's gone too far. In effect, it has surrendered to the President its power to set policy and do the legislative function. Interestingly, Trump has trumpeted the breadth of what he's doing here. He calls it a revolution. Well, if we have revolutions in this country, my copy of the Constitution says that the Congress has to enact revolution and the President can't do it on its own. So we think we've got a pretty strong case if we can get it to court.Alan MorrisonOne of the things that I've been struck by is that laws alone cannot make this country governable. That we can't write laws to cover every situation and every quirk that any person has, especially the President. We depend on the norms of government—that people will do things not exactly the way everybody did them before, but along the same general lines, and that when we make change, we make them in moderation, because that's what the people expect. Trump has shed all norms.Alan MorrisonNews 4/9/251. Our top story this week is the killing of Omar Mohammed Rabea, an American citizen in Gaza. Known as Amer, the BBC reports the 14-year-old was shot by the Israeli military along with two other 14-year-old boys “on the outskirts of Turmus Ayya” on Sunday evening. Predictably, the IDF called these children “terrorists.” According to NJ.com – Rabea formerly resided in Saddle Brook, New Jersey – Rabea's uncle sits on the board of a local Palestinian American Community Center which told the press “The ambulance was not allowed to pass the checkpoint for 30 minutes, a denial in medical treatment that ultimately resulted in Amer's death…[his] death was entirely preventable and horrifically unjust. He was a child, a 14-year-old boy, with an entire life ahead of him.” The Rachel Corrie Foundation, founded in honor of the American peace activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian home, issued a statement reading “Rabea's death…was perpetuated by Israeli settlers who act with impunity…We believe that if our own government demanded accountability…Rabea would still be alive.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi demanding an investigation, but chances of the Trump administration pursuing justice in this case are slim.2. Meanwhile, President Trump seems to be driving the U.S. economy into a deep recession. Following his much-publicized tariff announcement last week – which included 10% tariffs on uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands – the S&P dipped by 10.5%, among the largest drops in history, per the New York Times. Far from making Trump back off however, he appears dead set on pushing this as far as it will go. After the People's Republic of China responded to the threat of a 54% tariff with a reciprocal 34% tariff, Trump announced the U.S. will retaliate by upping the tariff to a whopping 104% on Chinese imports, according to the BBC. Reuters reports that JP Morgan forecasts a 60% chance of a recession as a result of these tariffs.3. In more foreign affairs news, on Friday April 4th, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially removed from office by that country's Constitutional Court, “ending months of uncertainty and legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December,” per CNN. The South Korean parliament had already voted to impeach Yoon in December of 2024. The court's decision was unanimous and characterized the leader's actions as a “grave betrayal of the people's trust.” Upon this ruling being handed down, Yoon was forced to immediately vacate the presidential residence. A new election is scheduled for June 3rd. Incredible what a political and judicial class unafraid to stand up to lawlessness can accomplish.4. Speaking of ineffectual opposition parties, one need look no further than Texas' 18th congressional district. This safe Democratic district – including most of central Houston – was held by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from 1995 until her death in 2024. According to the Texas Tribune, Lee planned to run yet again in 2024, triumphing over her 43-year-old former aide Amanda Edwards in the primary. However, Lee passed in July of 2024. Edwards again sought the nomination, but the Harris County Democratic Party instead opted for 69-year-old former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, per the Texas Tribune. Turner made it to March of 2025 before he too passed away. This seat now sits vacant – depriving the residents of central Houston of congressional representation and the Democrats of a vote in the House. Governor Gregg Abbot has announced that he will not allow a special election before November 2025, the Texas Tribune reports. This is a stunning Democratic own-goal and indicative of the literal death grip the gerontocratic old guard continue to have on the party.5. One ray of hope is that Democratic voters appear to be waking up the ineffectual nature of the party leadership. A new Data for Progress poll of the 2028 New York Senate primary posed a hypothetical matchup between incumbent Senator Chuck Schumer and Democratic Socialist firebrand Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – and found AOC with a staggering lead of 19 points. This poll showed AOC winning voters under 45 by 50 points, over 45s by eight points, non-college educated by 16 points, college educated by 23 points, Black and white voters by 16 points, and Latinos by 28. Schumer led among self-described “Moderates” by 15 and no other group. It remains to be seen whether the congresswoman from Queens will challenge the Senate Minority Leader, but this poll clearly shows her popularity in the state of New York, and Schumer's abysmal reputation catching up with him.6. Another bright spot from New York, is Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy and specifically his unprecedented field operation. According to the campaign, between April 1st and April 6th, volunteers knocked on 41,591 doors. No mayoral campaign in the history of the city has generated a grassroots movement of this intensity, with politicians traditionally relying on political machines or enormous war chests to carry them to victory. Mamdani has already reached the public financing campaign donation cap, so he can focus all of his time and energy on grassroots outreach. He remains the underdog against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, but his campaign appears stronger every day.7. Turning to the turmoil in the federal regulatory apparatus, POLITICO reports Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated the Freedom of Information Act offices at the Centers for Disease Control, and other HHS agencies. An anonymous source told the publication that HHS will consolidate its FOIA requests into one HHS-wide office, but “Next steps are still in flux.” In the meantime, there will be no one to fulfill FOIA requests at these agencies. This piece quotes Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, who said this “sends a wrong message to the public on the administration's commitment to transparency.” Amey added, “I often say that FOIA officers are like librarians in knowing the interactions of the agency…If you don't have FOIA officers with that specific knowledge, it will slow down the process tremendously.”8. At the Federal Trade Commission, Axios reports the Trump administration has “paused” the FTC's lawsuit against major pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, related to “the drug middlemen…inflating the price of insulin and driving up costs to diabetes patients.” The case, filed against CVS Caremark, OptumRx and Express Scripts was halted by the FTC in light of “the fact that there are currently no sitting Commissioners able to participate in this matter.” That is because Trump unlawfully fired the two remaining Democratic commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter. In a statement, former FTC Chair Lina Khan called this move “A gift to the PBMs.”9. One federal regulatory agency that seems to be at least trying to do their job is the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the American Prospect, the FAA has “[has] proposed [a] rule that would mandate Boeing update a critical communications malfunction in their 787 Dreamliner plane that could lead to disastrous accidents.” As this piece explains, “very high frequency (VHF) radio channels are transferring between the active and standby settings without flight crew input.” The FAA's recommendation in is that Boeing address the issue with an update to the radio software. Yet disturbingly, in one of the comments on this proposed rule Qatar Airways claims that, “[they have] already modified all affected…airplanes with … [the recommended software updates] …However … flight crew are still reporting similar issues.” This comment ends with Qatar Airways stating that they believe, “the unsafe condition still exists.” Boeing planes have been plagued by critical safety malfunctions in recent years, most notably the 2018 and 2019 crashes that killed nearly 350 people.10. Finally, on a somewhat lighter note, you may have heard about Bryan Johnson, the tech entrepreneur dubbed “The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.” Johnson has attracted substantial media attention for his unorthodox anti-aging methods, including regular transfusions of plasma from his own son. But this story is not about Johnson's bizarre immortality obsession, but rather his unsavory corporate practices. A new piece in New York Magazine focuses on the lawsuits filed against Johnson by his all-too-mortal workers, represented by eminent labor lawyer Matt Bruenig. This piece relays how Johnson “required his staffers to sign 20-page NDAs,” and an “opt-in” document which informed his employees they had to be comfortable “being around Johnson while he has very little clothing on” and “discussions for media production including erotica (for example, fan fiction including but not limited to story lines/ideas informed by the Twilight series and-or 50 Shades of Grey.)” Bruenig says, “That stuff is weird,” but his main interest is in the nondisparagement agreements, including the one Johnson's former employee and former fiancée Taylor Southern entered into which has further complicated an already thorny legal dispute between Johnson and herself. Now Bruenig is fighting for Southern and against these blanket nondisparagement agreements in a case that could help define the limits of employer's power to control their workers' speech. Hopefully, Bruenig will prevail in showing that Johnson, whatever his pretensions, truly is a mere mortal.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

“It's sort of strange to think about beauty and horrible circumstances together. But I try, probably clumsily at times, to bring beauty to a thing that's really horrible. … But in terms of covering executions, there is just a void there. The main character always dies.” (Elizabeth Bruenig, from the episode) Despite sin, there remains an inherent beauty and goodness throughout creation… including humanity. And even in the most divisive circumstances, when we appeal to the beauty and horror in our shared human condition, we might be able to find common ground for mutual understanding and collaboration. And sometimes, in the best circumstances, we might even find a beautiful and life-giving encounter with the other. In this episode, celebrated journalist and self-described “avid partisan of humankind” Elizabeth Bruenig (Staff Writer for The Atlantic, and formerly The New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Republic) joins Mark Labberton to talk about journalism, her journey toward Catholicism, the complex moral and emotional lives of human beings, capital punishment and violence, and the prospects for introducing beauty into polarized politics and horrifying evil. About Elizabeth Bruenig Elizabeth Bruenig is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She was previously an opinion writer for The New York Times and The Washington Post, where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. She has also been a staff writer at The New Republic and a contributor to the Left, Right & Center radio show. She currently hosts a podcast, The Bruenigs, with her husband, Matt Bruenig. Elizabeth holds a master of philosophy in Christian theology from the University of Cambridge. At The Atlantic, she writes about theology and politics. Show Notes Elizabeth Bruenig shares about her religious and philosophical background Bruenig shares about her journey toward Roman Catholicism The Eucharist and embodied experience of God The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist “I don't need to be studying and getting degrees, I need to just be living my life radically as a Christian.” Journalism, paying attention, and compassionate “I'm very interested in people and people's moral lives. Things like honor and shame, guilt—you know, very complex emotions—interest me a lot, and I think everyone has them all the time. People have these spiritual, ethical, moral struggles going on inside them. And so everybody is a little universe unto themselves.” What it means to be a Staff Writer Journalism with narrative, story, opinions, and arguments “I have found that to be a very successful way of garnering stories. It's just to listen to people.” “The first execution I ever witnessed, I witnessed for the New York Times, it was during Trump's spree of federal executions. I think they executed something like 13 people in six months, really unprecedented. I wanted to report on that.” Media witnesses as The Executions of Alfred Bourgeois, David Neal Cox, James Barber, Kenny Smith, and Alan Miller “I have had the opportunity to speak with men who were about to die.” “The Man I Saw Them Kill” “The idea of execution promises catharsis. The reality of it delivers the opposite, a nauseating sense of shame and regret. Alfred Bourgeois was going to die behind bars one way or another, and the only meaning in hastening it, as far as I could tell, was inflicting the terror and the torment of knowing that the end was coming early. I felt defiled by witnessing that particular bit of pageantry, all of that brutality cloaked in sterile procedure. So much time and effort goes into making executions seem like exercises of justice, not just power. Extreme measures are taken at each juncture to convince the public, and perhaps the executioners themselves, that the process is a fair, dispassionate, rational one. It isn't. There was no sense in it, and I can't make any out of it. Nothing was restored, nothing was gained. There isn't any justice in it, nor satisfaction, nor reason. There was nothing, nothing there.” Faith, the void of execution “I find that reading great essays summons language in me.” On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry “Beauty inspires reproduction” “It's sort of strange to think about beauty and horrible circumstances together. But I try, probably clumsily at times, to bring beauty to a thing that's really horrible. … But in terms of covering executions, there is just a void there. The main character always dies.” “I had a religious conviction going into the first execution that I was at that executions were wrong and it wasn't really based on anything that I could point to. I just had the, you know, very simple notion that killing people is wrong and that it's wrong in, in all cases, even if the person is a very bad person.” Two executions in the New Testament: the one Jesus halts, and the one that kills Jesus Execution as a subhuman act The logic of criminal justice system and capital punishment The difficulty of introducing beauty into polarized politics “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8) Groaning beauty “All of creation groans under the weight of sin.” “The holiness of creation, the goodness of it, is so strong that it can't be, I don't think, entirely blotted out by sin. I just don't think that humans have the power to rob of beauty that which was made beautiful.” Finding beauty in visual culture, pop culture, museums, essay writing, and art On Beauty, Eula Biss— “… her prose, you know, glitters to me. I think it's fantastic. Not too melodramatic, restrained. And elegant.” Marilynne Robinson, imagination and beauty The political landscape Fears “I think when what's up for debate is like the rule of law, then I'm going to go with the candidate who whatever other faults is actually in favor of the rule of law. I think that's very important.” Assisted Suicide and Physician Assisted Suicide “I don't think I can write without bringing in theology, because it's so much a part of what I consider to be true. And so to give readers an honest view into what I'm thinking I have to provide the theological Issues that I'm thinking through.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Ralph welcomes Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, an American trauma surgeon who worked at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. They'll discuss Dr. Sidhwa's experience on the ground in Gaza, as well as his letter (co-signed by 45 other American medical practitioners) to President Biden, VP Harris, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Then, Ralph is joined by University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Luigi Zingales to look at why business schools are setting capitalism up to fail.Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is a trauma and critical care surgeon as well as a Northern California Veterans Affairs general surgeon, and he is Associate Professor of Surgery at the California Northstate University College of Medicine. Dr. Sidhwa served at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in March and April of this year, and he has done prior humanitarian work in Haiti, the West Bank, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe. Dr. Sidhwa and 45 other American doctors and nurses who have served in Gaza recently sent a letter exhorting President Biden, VP Harris, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden to effect an immediate ceasefire. Gaza is definitely unique compared to anywhere else that I've been—the level of violence, the level of displacement, the level of deprivation of normal things that society provides.Dr. Feroze SidhwaThere's so much in this letter, listeners, that you need to know about because it's such heartfelt and professionally documented close observation. This short interview cannot do justice to the horrors that Dr. Sidhwa and others observed—and they were just there for a few weeks. Ralph NaderOne of the things that we tried to emphasize in the letter is that we don't have anything to say about the politics of the Israel-Palestine conflict…We, as physicians, that's not what we're talking about.  We're talking about our own participation in a massive unprecedented assault on a civilian population. By a military that we fund—we supply, literally every day. We provide the training. We provide all the diplomatic cover. The economic support. Everything is coming from the United States. And in the end, the Israelis have already decided what they're going to do. They have decided to destroy Gaza. If half the people there die, oh well, if all of the people there die, oh well. But we don't have to be involved in it.Dr. Feroze SidhwaI think the situation in Gaza has reached such a level, the political moment in the U.S. with Biden not running again, has reached a certain level, and then with Netanyahu's bonker address to Congress—when Nancy Pelosi is openly criticizing the Prime Minister of Israel, he's really screwed up.Dr. Feroze SidhwaLuigi Zingales is the Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He co-developed the Financial Trust Index, which is designed to monitor the level of trust that Americans have toward their financial system. He is currently a faculty research fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research, a research fellow for the Center for Economic Policy Research, a fellow of the European Governance Institute, and the director of Chicago Booth's Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State. Professor Zingales is the co-host (with Bethany McLean) of the podcast Capitalisn't, and co-author (with Raghuram G. Rajan) of the book Saving Capitalism from Capitalists. These days, there is a lot of attention in business school about the environment, about so-called social responsibility, about all these aspects…but business schools like to keep separate the social aspects from the business aspects. So, in many places now there are classes on social entrepreneurship—which is something very interesting where people try to use their entrepreneurial skills to promote an initiative that is good for society at large, even if it's not necessarily profitable. But then if you are not a social enterprise, then you have to be the most capital, profit-maximizing firms on the face of the earth. There is nothing in between.Professor Luigi ZingalesOne year there was a management conference, and I organized a session on corporate fraud. And I expected a lot of people to show up and listen to the panel. In fact, it was a fiasco. Almost nobody showed up, because they don't want to confront their own limitations and problems. They want to see the more glitzy and shiny aspects of success. And that's what attracts them to business school, and that's what we end up selling to them. So I think that we are in part responsible because we cater too much to their own demand. Professor Luigi ZingalesIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 7/31/241. On Monday, nine Israeli soldiers were arrested on suspicion of raping a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility. In response, the Middle East Eye reports “Dozens of people…including members of parliament and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, gathered outside Sde Teiman and stormed the…facility…[and] Hours later, some 1,200 rioters gathered outside the Beit Lid base, where the nine suspects were taken for questioning.” This piece quotes military chief of staff Herzi Halevi who described the riots as “bordering on anarchy” and said the rioters harmed the military. Yet, “Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the suspects as as ‘heroic warriors'…[and] National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the prisons where Palestinians are detained, called [the suspects] the ‘best heroes' and described the arrests as ‘shameful'.” One of these soldiers has now been released, according to the Middle East Monitor.2. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed Congress last week amid mass protests in Washington D.C. During his speech, Axios reports six spectators were arrested for “disrupting” the address. All six of these demonstrators are family members of the Israeli hostages. Capitol Police spokesperson Brianna Burch is quoted saying “demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is against the law.”3. In the U.K., the new Labour government is sending mixed messages on their Middle East policy. Late last week, the government announced that they would drop the United Kingdom's opposition to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Netanyahu, per CNN. Yet this week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that despite campaign promises, “Labour will…delay recognition [of a Palestinian state] indefinitely, making it conditional on Israel feeling ‘safe and secure,'” as reported by British blog Stats for Lefties. Labour continues to face pressure from independent MPs like Jeremy Corbyn on this issue.4. This week, President Nicolas Maduro was reelected in Venezuela. Elon Musk was caught spreading misinformation implying that Maduro engaged in election fraud – sharing a video that he claimed showed ballot boxes being stolen, when in fact the ballot boxes in question were actually air conditioning units, per Mediaite. The National Lawyer's Guild International Committee however, which sent a delegation to monitor the election, “observed a transparent, fair voting process with scrupulous attention to legitimacy, access to the polls and pluralism.” The NLG statement went on to decry “Despite the soundness of the electoral process, the U.S. backed opposition, with support from an anti-Maduro western press has refused to accept the results, undermining the stability of Venezuela's democracy.”5. Forbes reports that Disney has reached a deal with the unionized workers at Disneyland, ratifying a three-year contract that includes “a $24 hourly minimum wage…wage increases, seniority increases, more flexible attendance and sick leave policies, and other benefits.” This deal thus averts the first strike at the Anaheim park in four decades. Last week, More Perfect Union reported that the 14,000 unionized Disneyland workers “authorized a strike by 99%.”6. Jacobin reports “SpaceX [has won] a First Battle in Its Assault on the NLRB.” In this piece, People's Policy Project founder Matt Bruenig lays out how “SpaceX...[winning] a preliminary injunction in a Texas federal district court against the National Labor Relations Board… moves us closer to a potential Supreme Court decision declaring the NLRB unconstitutional.” This is the latest installment in the corporatist war on administrative law, which has already scored major victories in the SEC v. Jarkesy and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo cases. Bruenig notes that “For now, the district court's decision simply prevents the NLRB from processing a fairly run-of-the-mill unfair labor practice charge against SpaceX. The real question is going to be what the Supreme Court does once this case makes it to their docket. But in the meantime…it is likely that other companies subject to NLRB proceedings will seek similar injunctions.”7. A storm is brewing within the Kamala Harris campaign over Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Democracy Now! Reports “some of the Democratic Party's biggest donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, are openly pushing Harris to fire…Khan, who has led Biden's antitrust efforts.” NBC notes that Hoffman is a billionaire megadonor and that other megadonors like Barry Diller are also calling for Khan's removal, and adds that “Khan's pro-consumer, pro-worker, anti-monopoly agenda has attracted no small amount of hate from powerful and monied interests.” On the other side, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and the Service Employees International Union – a close labor ally of Harris – have defended Khan. This battle illustrates the cross-cutting interests Harris will have to navigate as the Democratic nominee, and possibly, as president. We urge the Vice President to back Khan, not the billionaire donor class.8. The Washington Post is out with a heartbreaking new report on the increase of homelessness among “Working Americans with decent-paying jobs who simply can't afford a place to live.” This report cites data showing that homelessness, already at record highs, is only getting worse – growing by 61% in Southeast Texas over the past year, 35% in Rhode Island, and 20% in northeast Tennessee. Throughout the country, rents have risen by over 32% in four years and overall homelessness by 12%.9. In another disturbing economic trend, a new academic working paper out of UCLA and USC analyzes how the “widespread legalization of sports gambling over the past five years has impacted consumer financial health.” The most-discussed findings of this paper have to do with debt, with a “roughly 28% increase in bankruptcies and an 8% increase in debt transferred to debt collectors,” along with substantial increases in auto loan delinquencies and use of debt consolidation loans. As the researchers put it “these results indicate that the ease of access to sports gambling is harming consumer financial health by increasing their level of debt.”10. Finally, for some good news, the White House issued a statement Monday celebrating that “As of today, over 600,000 Teamster workers and retirees have pensions protected from devastating cuts,” as part of Biden's signature American Rescue Plan. This announcement came after the administration acted to protect 70,000 worker pensions in New England, building on similar actions in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. As the Boston Globe explains “The [American Rescue Plan] set up a special financial assistance program that allows struggling multi-employer pension plans to apply for assistance from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency that protects the retirement incomes of workers in defined benefit pension plans.” The administration is paying particular attention to the protection of Teamsters, as that union's leadership has been flirting with an embrace of the GOP. Not one Republican voted for the American Rescue Plan.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

It's Hump Day! Sam speaks with Daniel Poppen, member of the union organizing committee at the Trader Joe's location in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago, to discuss the staff's decision to file for a union election. Then, he speaks with Matt Bruenig, founder of the People's Policy Project, author of the NLRB Edge newsletter, and co-host of “The Bruenigs” podcast, to discuss his recent NLRB filing against Steven Crowder. First, Sam reacts to State Dept. spokesperson Matthew Miller refusing to answer the Associated Press's Matt Lee's question about why they've been unable to verify whether Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic target in Syria. Then, Sam's joined by Dan Poppen as they take us through the steps that led the Trader Joe's North Center location in Chicago to vote for a union election. Dan discusses some of the issues that have been facing Trader Joe's workers, the inspiration they've received from other unionizing Trader Joe's locations around the country, and what they can anticipate going forward after the vote totals are finalized. Then, Sam is joined by Matt Bruenig to discuss his representation of Jared Monroe, AKA "Not Gay Jared", the former "Louder With Crowder" employee, who has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Steven Crowder and the company. Bruenig outlines the main pillars that constitute the NLRB complaint, and provides some context to Jared's experience while working for Steven Crowder, what that entailed, and what they're hoping to achieve as the complaint is arbitrated and decided upon. And in the Fun Half, Sam reacts to Google employees demonstrating and conducting sit-ins against Google's work with Israel in their New York and California offices. He and Matt then check in on Speaker Johnson's tightrope walk, attempting to pass a supplemental foreign aid bill, which his far-right faction doesn't want. Johnson, who's now referring to him as a "wartime Speaker", is losing soldiers as an outline has been revealed, with Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry complaining that there's no border funding in the legislation (it was in another bill that Perry and his cohort didn't support). On the other end, former Kevin McCarthy confidant Rep. Garret Graves asks the all-important question: "What are Republicans getting" from this supplemental? And now, Speaker Johnson is only being offered tepid support from former President Trump, who is now willing to wait and see what happens to him with the motion to vacate looming over his head. Sam and Matt then turn to Trump's hush money trial, with Trump attorney and spokesperson Alina Habba telling Fox's Martha McCallum that Trump will be regarded like *wait for it* Nelson Mandela if he were to be put in jail for violating his gag order. Sam covers the recent Politico scoop of comedian Rob Schneider tanking a performance in front of Senate Republicans and their staffers, before diving into Trump's recent rally this weekend where he heard chants of "Genocide Joe!", to which he responded in part by saying: "You're not wrong". And, finally, Sam and Matt step into Dave Rubin's corner, where Rubin discusses his concerns about his inability to "arbitrage" the divide between the left and the right. Then, they check in on Dave's conversation with Will Cain from last week, where Dave tries his absolute hardest to take shots at Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens while *trying his absolute hardest* not to actually take shots at Tucker Carlson or Candace Owens. Plus, your IM's! Find out more about Trader Joe's union efforts here: https://traderjoesunited.org/ Check out NLRB Edge here: https://www.nlrbedge.com/ Find out more about the People's Policy Project here: https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/ Check out "The Bruenigs" here: https://www.patreon.com/thebruenigs Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ; use coupon code APRIL and get 42% off anything on the site until April 21st!; ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/ Get emails on the IRS pilot program for tax filing here!: https://service.govdelivery.com/accounts/USIRS/subscriber/new Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Fast Growing Trees: This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals online, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF their first purchase when using the code MAJORITY at checkout. That's an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF at https://FastGrowingTrees.com using the code MAJORITY at checkout. https://FastGrowingTrees.com code MAJORITY. Offer is valid for a limited time, terms and conditions may apply.Earthbreeze: Right now, my listeners can receive 40% off Earth Breeze just by going to https://earthbreeze.com/majority! That's https://earthbreeze.com/majority to cut out single-use plastic in your laundry room and claim forty percent off your subscription. Blueland Cleaning Products: Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY. You won't want to miss this! https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY for 15% off. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Ralph is joined by Tim Judson from the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (N.I.R.S.) to discuss the growing support for nuclear power in Congress, and the persistent myths that fuel nuclear advocates' false hopes for a nuclear future. Then, Ralph pays tribute to Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, who died unexpectedly this week in the middle of giving his deposition for a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against Boeing. Plus, Ralph answers some of your audience feedback from last week's interview with Barbara McQuade. Tim Judson is Executive Director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (N.I.R.S.). Mr. Judson leads N.I.R.S.' work on nuclear reactor and climate change issues, and has written a series of reports on nuclear bailouts and sustainable energy. He is Chair of the Board of Citizens Awareness Network, one of the lead organizations in the successful campaign to close the Vermont Yankee reactor, and co-founder of Alliance for a Green Economy in New York.Listeners should know that this very complex system called the nuclear fuel cycle—that starts with uranium mines out west piling up radioactive tailings, which have exposed people downwind to radioactive hazards…And then they have to enrich the uranium—and that is often done by burning coal, which pollutes the air and contributes to climate disruption. And then they have to fabricate the fuel rods and build the nuclear plants. And then they have to make sure that these nuclear plants are secure against sabotage. And then you have the problem of transporting—by trucks or rail—radioactive waste to some depositories that don't exist. And they have to go through towns, cities, and villages. And what is all this for? It's to boil water. Ralph NaderIn 2021 and 2022, when the big infrastructure bills— the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act—were being passed by Congress, the utility industry spent $192 million on federal lobbying in those two years. That's more than the oil industry spent in those two years on lobbying. These are the utility companies that are present in every community around the country. And their business is actually less in selling electricity and natural gas, and more in lobbying state and federal governments to get their rates approved…The utility industry (and the nuclear industry as a subset of that) have been lobbying Congress relentlessly for years to protect what they've got.Tim JudsonFusion is one of these technologies that's always been 30 years away. Whenever there's an announcement about an advancement in fusion research, it's still “going to be 30 years before we get a reactor going.” Now there's a lot more hype, and these tech investors are putting money into fusion with the promise that they're going to have a reactor online in a few years. But there's no track record to suggest that that's going to happen. It keeps the dream of nuclear alive— “We could have infinite amounts of clean energy for the future.” It sounds too good to be true. It's always proven to be too good to be true.Tim JudsonOne of the lines that they're using to promote theAtomic Energy Advancement Act and all of these investments in nuclear… is that we can't let Russia and China be the ones that are expanding nuclear energy worldwide. It's got to be the US that does it.Tim JudsonIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 3/12/241. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, has released a report claiming that “employees released into Gaza from Israeli detention [were] pressured by Israeli authorities into falsely stating that the agency has Hamas links and that staff took part in the October 7 attacks,” per the Times of Israel. These supposed admissions of guilt led to the United States and many European countries cutting off or delaying aid to the agency. The unpublished report alleges that UNRWA staffers were “detained by the Israeli army, and…experienced…severe physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of harm to family members.” The report goes on to say “In addition to the alleged abuse endured by UNRWA staff members, Palestinian detainees more broadly described allegations of abuse, including beatings, humiliation, threats, dog attacks, sexual violence, and deaths of detainees denied medical treatment.”2. Continuing the genocidal assault on Gaza, Israel has been bombing the densely populated city of Rafah in the South. Domestically, this seems to be too far for even Biden's closest allies, with the AP reporting just before the assault that “[Senator Chris] Coons…of Delaware, called for the U.S. to cut military aid to Israel if Netanyahu goes ahead with a threatened offensive on the southern city of Rafah without significant provisions to protect the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. [And Senator] Jack Reed, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, appealed to Biden to deploy the U.S. Navy to get humanitarian aid to Gaza. Biden ally Sen. Tim Kaine challenged the U.S. strikes on the Houthis as unlikely to stop the Red Sea attacks. And the most senior Democrat in the Senate [Patty Murray of Washington] called for Israel to ‘change course.'” Hewing to these voices within his party, President Biden declared that an invasion of Rafah would be a “red line.” Yet POLTICO reports that Israeli PM Netanyahu “says he intends to press ahead with an invasion.” POLTICO now reports that Biden is threatening to condition military aid to Israel in response to Netanyahu's defiance, but it remains to be seen whether the president will follow through on this threat.3. POLITICO also reports that CIA Director Bill Burns is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying “The reality is that there are children who are starving…They're malnourished as a result of the fact that humanitarian assistance can't get to them. It's very difficult to distribute humanitarian assistance effectively unless you have a ceasefire.” This is obviously correct, and illustrates how out of touch the Democratic Party is that they are getting outflanked on peace issues by the literal director of the CIA.4. Whether unwilling – or unable – to change course on Gaza, President Biden is paying the electoral price. In last week's Super Tuesday primaries, the Nation reports “Uncommitted” won 19 percent of the vote and 11 delegates in Minnesota, 29 percent and seven delegates in Hawaii, and 12.7 percent in North Carolina. This week, the New York Times reports Uncommitted took 7.5% – nearly 50,000 votes – in Washington State. Biden also lost the caucus in American Samoa, making him the first incumbent president since Carter to lose a nominating contest, per Newsweek.5. In yet another manifestation of opposition to the genocide in Gaza, Jewish director Jonathan Glazer used his Oscar acceptance speech to “[denounce] the bloodshed in the Middle East and [ask] the audience to consider how it could ‘resist…dehumanization,'” per NBC. Glazer's award winning film “The Zone of Interest” examines how “[a] Nazi commandant…and his family…attempt to build an idyllic life right outside the walls of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during the Holocaust.” Glazer said “All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present — not to say, 'Look what we did then,' rather, 'Look what we do now.' Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst…Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many people." Glazer was the most forthright in his criticism of the Israeli campaign, but NBC notes “Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef wore red pins on the Oscars red carpet symbolizing calls for a cease-fire.”6. Aware that they are losing the public relations battle, pro-Israel lobbying groups like the UJA-Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council have enlisted Right-wing messaging guru Frank Luntz to help with their Hasbara PR, the Grayzone reports. Leaked talking points from his presentation run the gamut from playing up unsubstantiated claims of systematic sexual violence committed by Hamas to acknowledging that “'The most potent' tactic in mobilizing opposition to Israel's assault…‘is the visual destruction of Gaza and the human toll'… [because] ‘It ‘looks like a genocide'.”7. Turning from Palestine to East Palestine, Ohio Cleveland.com reports that during a recent Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, National Transportation Safety Board  Chair Jennifer L. Homendy told Ohio's junior Senator JD Vance that “The deliberate burn of rail cars carrying hazardous chemicals after last year's crash…wasn't needed to avoid an explosion because the rail cars were cooling off before they were set on fire.” In a statement, Ohio's senior Senator, progressive Democrat Sherrod Brown, called the testimony “outrageous,” and said “This explosion – which devastated so many – was unnecessary…The people of East Palestine are still living with the consequences of this toxic burn. This is more proof that Norfolk Southern put profits over safety & cannot be trusted.”8. In positive labor news, Bloomberg reports that “About 600 video game testers at Microsoft…'s Activision Blizzard studios have unionized, more than doubling the size of labor's foothold at the software giant, according to the Communications Workers of America.” This brings the unionized workforce at Microsoft to approximately 1,000. To the company's credit, Microsoft has been friendly towards unionization, a marked difference from other technology companies – namely Amazon and Tesla – which have gone to extreme lengths to prevent worker organizing.9. In not so positive labor news, Matt Bruenig's NLRB Edge reports “The ACLU Is Trying to Destroy the Biden NLRB.” In a narrow sense, this story is about the ACLU fighting its workers to preserve its internal mandatory arbitration process. More broadly however, Bruenig illustrates how the ACLU is seeking to oust Biden's NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo – arguing her appointment was unconstitutional – which “could potentially invalidate everything the Biden Board has done.” This is yet another example of the non-profit industrial complex run amok, doing damage to progressive values and opting to possibly inflict economic harm on workers nationwide rather than treat their own workers fairly.10. Finally, according to the Corporate Crime Reporter, “Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina after a break in depositions in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit.” Barnett's lawyer Brian Knowles told the paper “They found him in his truck dead from an ‘alleged' self-inflicted gunshot.” Barnett had gone on record saying “[Boeing] started pressuring us to not document defects, to work outside the procedures, to allow defective material to be installed without being corrected. They started bypassing procedures and not maintaining configurement control of airplanes, not maintaining control of non conforming parts –  they just wanted to get the planes pushed out the door and make the cash register ring.” The timing and circumstances of Barnett's death raise disturbing questions; we hope an exhaustive investigation turns up some answers.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Josh and David open with a discussion of the Joe Reed Revival within the Alabama Democratic Party. The Atlantic's Liz Bruenig zooms in to discuss her incredibly disturbing piece on the torture of Joe Nathan James by the state of Alabama. And they wrap with an update on Kay Ivey and this week's Rightwing Nut of the Week. Send us a question: We take a bit of time each week to answer questions from our audience about Alabama politics — or Alabama in general. If you have a question about a politician, a policy, or a trend — really anything — you can shoot us an email at apwproducer@gmail.com or with this form. You can also send it to us on Facebook and Twitter. Or by emailing us a voice recording to our email with your question, and we may play it on air. Either way, make sure you include your name (first name is fine) and the city or county where you live. About APW: APW is a weekly Alabama political podcast hosted by Josh Moon and David Person, two longtime Alabama political journalists. More information is available on our website. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Music credits: Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive. Visit Mr. Smith's page here.

TMBS 18 first aired on December 5th, 2017, here is the episode recap: Michael explains how there are no sidelines in the culture wars and how MSNBC ruined themselves by taking orders from Mike Cernovich. Shoutout to Cooperation Jackson (@CooperationJXN) a group in Mississippi that is working to empower the people of Jackson, Mississippi through alternative ways of economic organizing. Matt Bruenig (@mattbruenig) founder of the People's Policy Project (@PplPolicyProj) calls in to talk about the importance of having a think tank that looks out for the interests of the people rather than just wealthy donors. Bruenig also breaks down the monstrous GOP tax bill and his recent piece in the New York Times “A Simple For Our Massive Inequality Problem” Matt Binder (@mattbinder) joins us for a special edition of the pyramid. Crew Big Wos (@BigWos) host of Wos Speaks (@wosspeaks) tells us about the ridiculousness of MSNBC's Sam Seder decision, his thoughts on Netflix's “She's Gotta Have It,” and the pressure for black artists. Michael explains how there are no sidelines in the culture wars and how MSNBC ruined themselves by taking orders from Mike Cernovich. Shoutout to Cooperation Jackson (@CooperationJXN) a group in Mississippi that is working to empower the people of Jackson, Mississippi through alternative ways of economic organizing. Matt Bruenig (@mattbruenig) founder of the People's Policy Project (@PplPolicyProj) calls in to talk about the importance of having a think tank that looks out for the interests of the people rather than just wealthy donors. Bruenig also breaks down the monstrous GOP tax bill and his recent piece in the New York Times “A Simple For Our Massive Inequality Problem” Matt Binder (@mattbinder) joins us for a special edition of the pyramid. Crew Big Wos (@BigWos) host of Wos Speaks (@wosspeaks) tells us about the ridiculousness of MSNBC's Sam Seder decision, his thoughts on Netflix's “She's Gotta Have It,” and the pressure for black artists. TMBS re-aired episodes come out every Tuesday at 7PM EST on The Michael Brooks Show Channel and here on the Podcast App. This program has been put together by The Michael Brooks Legacy Project. To learn more and rewatch the postgame content visit https://www.patreon.com/TMBS Re-air edit by Danny Celentano https://www.patreon.com/BodyPolitic?f... IG/Twitter @Body Politic Media

In this special episode, hosts Natalie Smith and @moltopopulare take on the austere sexual politics promulgated by cultural critic and commentator Elizabeth or “Liz” Bruenig. Mirroring the tacit zero-sum logics built into her spouse Matt Bruenig's analyses of political economy, Liz regularly weaponizes social conservatism and conformity in cruel efforts to shore up a problematic vision of a proper social democratic populace. Natalie and Charlotte lay bare the sadistic violation of sexual freedom and identity that forms the core of Liz's project by examining a wide range of articles on topics such as queer celibacy, the politics of pornography, and 50 Shades of Gray.Link to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoLsuperstructureMusic: “Yum” from “This Would Be Funny If It Were Happening To Anyone But Me” EP by flirting.http://flirtingfullstop.bandcamp.comTwitter: @actualflirting

In this special episode, hosts Natalie Smith and @moltopopulare take on the austere sexual politics promulgated by cultural critic and commentator Elizabeth or “Liz” Bruenig. Mirroring the tacit zero-sum logics built into her spouse Matt Bruenig's analyses of political economy, Liz regularly weaponizes social conservatism and conformity in cruel efforts to shore up a problematic vision of a proper social democratic populace. Natalie and Charlotte lay bare the sadistic violation of sexual freedom and identity that forms the core of Liz's project by examining a wide range of articles on topics such as queer celibacy, the politics of pornography, and 50 Shades of Gray. Link to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoLsuperstructure Music: “Yum” from “This Would Be Funny If It Were Happening To Anyone But Me” EP by flirting. http://flirtingfullstop.bandcamp.com Twitter: @actualflirting

After a heated debate over Slack and hummus/Hamas, Jesse and Katie announce a repivoting of the podcast. Then they discuss a gas shortage that almost stranded Katie in an unmentionable hellhole and the careful, measured, polite reaction to a column by the incorrigible Liz Bruenig, who had the temerity to argue, grossly, that she loves her kids and is glad to be a mom. Show notes/Links: International Hamas day: https://twitter.com/SlackHQ/status/1392901563207897101?s=20 (https://twitter.com/SlackHQ/status/1392901563207897101?s=20) On the pipeline hack: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/a-closer-look-at-the-darkside-ransomware-gang/ (https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/a-closer-look-at-the-darkside-ransomware-gang/) Subpar reporting on it: https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1392108492773810176 (https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1392108492773810176) Fact-checking the bag thing: https://nbc-2.com/news/2021/05/12/fact-check-viral-twitter-photo-of-plastic-bags-full-of-gas-was-taken-in-2019/ (https://nbc-2.com/news/2021/05/12/fact-check-viral-twitter-photo-of-plastic-bags-full-of-gas-was-taken-in-2019/) Bruenig's hate-crime of a column: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/motherhood-baby-bust-early-parenthood.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/motherhood-baby-bust-early-parenthood.html) Everyone is completely out of their goddamn minds: https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/1391816713008607235 (https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/1391816713008607235) https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391353803174199299 (https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391353803174199299) https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391354461566685186 (https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391354461566685186) https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391382397585928192 (https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391382397585928192) https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391457783506259969 (https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391457783506259969) https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391459272261779458 (https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391459272261779458) https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391540579197235201 (https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391540579197235201) FdB is correct: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/all-this-shit-is-high-school (https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/all-this-shit-is-high-school)

After a heated debate over Slack and hummus/Hamas, Jesse and Katie announce a repivoting of the podcast. Then they discuss a gas shortage that almost stranded Katie in an unmentionable hellhole and the careful, measured, polite reaction to a column by the incorrigible Liz Bruenig, who had the temerity to argue, grossly, that she loves her kids and is glad to be a mom.Show notes/Links:International Hamas day: https://twitter.com/SlackHQ/status/1392901563207897101?s=20On the pipeline hack: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/a-closer-look-at-the-darkside-ransomware-gang/Subpar reporting on it: https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1392108492773810176Fact-checking the bag thing: https://nbc-2.com/news/2021/05/12/fact-check-viral-twitter-photo-of-plastic-bags-full-of-gas-was-taken-in-2019/Bruenig's hate-crime of a column: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/motherhood-baby-bust-early-parenthood.htmlEveryone is completely out of their goddamn minds:https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/1391816713008607235 https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391353803174199299https://twitter.com/amandamarcotte/status/1391354461566685186 https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391382397585928192 https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391457783506259969https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391459272261779458https://mobile.twitter.com/sadydoyle/status/1391540579197235201FdB is correct: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/all-this-s**t-is-high-school This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

The ladies discuss the recent flareup in the Israel/Palestine conflict, the LA Times on fat-shaming in the time of Covid-19, Elon Musk's SNL appearance and the backlash to Liz Bruenig's latest NYT op-ed.

The federal death penalty returned with a vengeance at the end of Donald Trump's term, with 13 of the 17 executions of the last 60 years taking place in 2020. The New York Times opinion writer Liz Bruenig has been reporting and reflecting on this shift in policy. Here she shares her experience of witnessing the execution of Alfred Bourgeois in December 2020. We also talk about the politics and policy of the death penalty, the moral and theological arguments against it (St Augustine and Pope Francis feature here), and what the future holds for the death penalty in the U.S. Liz also describes how a murder of a close family member influenced her work in this area.    Elizabeth Bruenig: Twitter @ebruenig   Elizabeth Bruenig is an opinion writer for the New York Times, with previous positions at the Washington Post and the New Republic. She writes at the intersection of theology, ethics, and politics and in 2019, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her piece “What Do We Owe Her Now.” Bruenig co-hosts a podcast with her husband, Matt, called The Bruenigs, where they discuss family, politics, and current events.  Check out her opinion columns at the New York Times, including her emotional compelling piece “The Man I Saw Them Kill” discussed in this episode.  Also mentioned: Liz quoted this famous monologue from Hamlet: “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world. The paragon of animals.” Here's the St. Augustine's Sermon on the Mount (paragraph 64): “But great and holy men… punished some sins with death, both because the living were struck with a salutary fear, and because it was not death itself that would injure those who were being punished with death, but sin, which might be increased if they continued to live.” Pope Francis' statement against LWOP The Reuters piece uncovering the identities of the pharmaceutical companies that produced pentobarbital for the federal government.  We also made references to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act (1986) and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (1996) The National Registry of Exonerations keeps track of exonerations on the basis of false confessions; showing that 70% of those with a reported mental illness or intellectual disability falsely confessed.  Liz also referred to some prior litigation which focuses on the change in procedure from the use of the three-drug cocktail to the use of a single drug (pentobarbital) in lethal injections. And I mentioned the Ta-Nehisi Coates piece: “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration” The Dialogues Team Creator: Richard Reeves Research: Ashleigh Maciolek Artwork: George Vaughan Thomas Tech Support: Cameron Hauver-Reeves Music: "Remember" by Bencoolen (thanks for the permission, guys!)

On Wednesday night, Joe Biden gave his first presidential address to a joint session of Congress, though it was sparsely attended so that social distancing could be observed. Biden was there to pitch what he’s calling the American Families Plan, and as Deconstructed guest Matt Bruenig has long noted, support for families and children has been a blind spot in the United States. Bruenig founded the progressive think tank People's Policy Project, which relies largely on small donors. In early 2019, he put out what he called the Family Fun Pack, a sweeping set of policies aimed at making raising kids in the U.S. somewhat less impossible than it is today. He modeled the policies on the most effective programs in operation in Europe and Asia. Matt is also the co-host, with his wife Liz Bruenig, of the great podcast The Bruenigs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After responding to some reader feedback about their last couple episodes, the hosts revisit one of the fiercer left-of-center Twitter controversies of the last half-decade: Woke Twitter vs. Brocialist Twitter. There are alligators! And corncobs! And forgotten and since-humiliated internet microcelebrities! It's quite. A. Ride. Please consider preordering Jesse's book, The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills -- pre- and early orders help a first-time author tremendously: https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Fix-Psychology-Cant-Social/dp/0374239800/ref=tmmhrdswatch0?encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Fix-Psychology-Cant-Social/dp/0374239800/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) Show notes/Links: No dice for Neera: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/bernie-supporters-seethes-neera-tanden-441603 (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/bernie-supporters-seethes-neera-tanden-441603) Some of the deleted tweets: https://www.the-sun.com/news/2387776/what-did-neera-tanden-say-in-now-deleted-tweets/ (https://www.the-sun.com/news/2387776/what-did-neera-tanden-say-in-now-deleted-tweets/) "I didn't slug him, I pushed him": https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/politics/tanden-sanders-.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/politics/tanden-sanders-.html) Matt Bruenig pointing out the insanity of the Sarah Kendzior claim that set off Jacobinghazi: http://mattbruenig.com/2014/06/08/opportunistic-misreads/ (http://mattbruenig.com/2014/06/08/opportunistic-misreads/) Bruenig calling Kendzior a liar: http://mattbruenig.com/2014/09/23/what-would-it-take-to-make-sarah-kendzior-admit-this-is-not-true/ (http://mattbruenig.com/2014/09/23/what-would-it-take-to-make-sarah-kendzior-admit-this-is-not-true/) Wired on The Alligator Tweets: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/wish-unsee-vile-tweet-alligator-attack/ (https://www.wired.com/2016/06/wish-unsee-vile-tweet-alligator-attack/) Bruenig loses his job over "scumbag Neera": https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-joan-walsh-hillary-clinton-223439 (https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-joan-walsh-hillary-clinton-223439) Matt Yglesias on Bruenighazi: https://www.vox.com/2016/5/21/11724298/bruenighazi-matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-demos (https://www.vox.com/2016/5/21/11724298/bruenighazi-matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-demos) German Lopez on Reid-gate-ghazwhatever: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/27/17286392/joy-reid-msnbc-lgbtq-gay-hack (https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/27/17286392/joy-reid-msnbc-lgbtq-gay-hack) Jesse's brave investigative reporting on corncobs: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/08/why-is-everyone-on-twitter-suddenly-talking-about-corncobs.html (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/08/why-is-everyone-on-twitter-suddenly-talking-about-corncobs.html) Dril: https://twitter.com/dril (https://twitter.com/dril) Al Giordano accusations: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/al-giordano-sexual-harassment-school-of-authentic-journalismn5aeb5113e4b041fd2d24580c (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/al-giordano-sexual-harassment-school-of-authentic-journalismn5aeb5113e4b041fd2d24580c)

After responding to some reader feedback about their last couple episodes, the hosts revisit one of the fiercer left-of-center Twitter controversies of the last half-decade: Woke Twitter vs. Brocialist Twitter. There are alligators! And corncobs! And forgotten and since-humiliated internet microcelebrities! It's quite. A. Ride.Please consider preordering Jesse's book, The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills -- pre- and early orders help a first-time author tremendously: https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Fix-Psychology-Cant-Social/dp/0374239800/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Show notes/Links:No dice for Neera: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/bernie-supporters-seethes-neera-tanden-441603Some of the deleted tweets: https://www.the-sun.com/news/2387776/what-did-neera-tanden-say-in-now-deleted-tweets/"I didn't slug him, I pushed him": https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/politics/tanden-sanders-.html Matt Bruenig pointing out the insanity of the Sarah Kendzior claim that set off Jacobinghazi: http://mattbruenig.com/2014/06/08/opportunistic-misreads/ Bruenig calling Kendzior a liar: http://mattbruenig.com/2014/09/23/what-would-it-take-to-make-sarah-kendzior-admit-this-is-not-true/ Wired on The Alligator Tweets: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/wish-unsee-vile-tweet-alligator-attack/ Bruenig loses his job over "scumbag Neera": https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-joan-walsh-hillary-clinton-223439 Matt Yglesias on Bruenighazi: https://www.vox.com/2016/5/21/11724298/bruenighazi-matt-bruenig-neera-tanden-demos German Lopez on Reid-gate-ghazwhatever: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/27/17286392/joy-reid-msnbc-lgbtq-gay-hack Jesse's brave investigative reporting on corncobs: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/08/why-is-everyone-on-twitter-suddenly-talking-about-corncobs.html Dril: https://twitter.com/dril Al Giordano accusations: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/al-giordano-sexual-harassment-school-of-authentic-journalism_n_5aeb5113e4b041fd2d24580c This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Debating the Bruenig, Biden, Cass, and Romney plans. With a segment on the cosmic definition of the child - disabled worker, appendage of a parent, or something else entirely? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. I have one sponsor which is an awesome nonprofit GiveWell.org/StandUp for more but Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. 30:00 Liz Bruenig, is an American journalist working as an opinion writer for The New York Times. She previously worked as an opinion writer and editor for The Washington Post, where she wrote about ethics, politics, theology, and economics, and where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2019. She graduated from Brandeis University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in English and sociology and a minor in Near Eastern and Judaic studies.[As a recipient of the Marshall Scholarship,she studied at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a Master of Philosophy degree in Christian theology under the supervision of John Hughes.She was named a 2014–2015 Presidential Fellow at Brown University, where she was a doctoral student in religious studies. Bruenig was an opinion writer and editor for The Washington Post.Previously, she was a staff writer for The New Republic. She writes about ethics, politics, theology, and economics.  She also hosts a great podcast with her husband Matt who is the founder of the peoples policy project.  She is now an opinion writer at the NY Times. 1:15 Pam Keith was the Democratic Nominee for Florida’s 18th Congressional District, winning the 2020 primary with 80% of the vote—a record for this district. Unfortunately she lost to a much lesser human. But whatever Pam chooses to do next is going to be really great. Pam is the daughter of a U.S. Diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador. She was born in Turkey and lived in Morocco, Syria, Brazil, and several U.S. cities before going to high school in Oakland, CA and attending U.C. Davis for her BA and MA degrees. She then attended Boston College Law School where she was Moot Court champion and made Law Review. Her desire to serve her country led Pam to commission into the U.S. Navy as a JAG Officer in 1995. She served for four years, including a tour as Officer in Charge of the Legal Services Office in Bahrain. Ms. Keith later served as the first JAG assigned to the Navy Task Force on Computer Network Security. She speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese. When elected, Pam will serve as the first Black female veteran in the history of the United States Congress.  Pam has more than twenty years of legal experience, having worked at the prestigious law firms Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Jones Day; and Ogletree Deakins. In 2011, she was recruited to serve as Senior In-House Counsel for NextEra Energy/Florida Power & Light Co. Pam is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and volunteers as a consultant to Faith, Hope Love, Charity, Inc., a local non-profit that serves homeless and at-risk veterans. In 2016, Pam became the first African American woman to run a qualified campaign for U.S. Senate in Florida history, garnering the endorsement of the Miami Herald and more than 15% of the vote. In that race—her first foray into politics—Pam gained popularity all over Florida for her innovative ideas and inspirational message. Now, her bold and unapologetic style, and passionate advocacy for values-based policy, have earned her a diverse and enthusiastic national following.  Mari Sallee is the co-founder of the non-profit organization United Progressive Platform @wethinkupp / ThinkUpp.com, as well as, Director of Implementation for a healthcare consulting firm, focused on assisting early-stage Independent Diagnostic Test Facilities (IDTF) and connected health startups with product definition, go-to-market strategy, and business/process planning Please consider a paid subscription to this daily podcast. Everyday I will interview 2 or more expert guests on a wide range of issues. I will continue to be transparent about my life, issues and vulnerabilities in hopes we can relate, connect and grow together. If you want to add something to the show email me StandUpwithPete@gmail.com Join the Stand Up Community Pete on Twitter Pete on YouTube Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page PLEASE SIGN UP FOR A PAID SUBSCRIPTION 

Religion is difficult for journalists to cover, in part because it lies beyond observation and resists narrative. On this week's Kicker, Elizabeth Bruenig, an opinion writer for the New York Times, speaks with Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of CJR, on how, as we live in a time of enormous loss, we can report on spirituality and death.

Journalists Wajahat Ali (Muslim), Peter Beinart (Jewish), and Liz Bruenig (Christian), a motley group of monotheists, discuss how they bring their faith to bear in their work navigating the frayed political and cultural terrains of today’s political landscape, in a conversation moderated by Rabbi Shira Stutman.

This episode features two guests from opposite sides of the debate over the state of the Democratic Party and the left. First, we have Jonathan Chait, a long time left-of-center writer who argues that the Obama years were a stunning success and form the trajectory the party should pursue in the future. Opposite Chait we have the Washington Post’s Elizabeth Bruenig, who argues that the Obama presidency’s shortcomings are part of why democratic socialism is the path forward. On Twitter and Facebook, these two camps, which overlap with the 2016 Hillary vs. Bernie divide, snipe at each other endlessly, engaged in a forever war for control of social media narratives. In this episode, Bruenig and Chait leave those Twitter tribes behind for a respectful, substantive discussion about Twitter, abortion, Obama, healthcare reform, liberal democracy, and the culture of left-wing campus activism.Co-produced by Leighton Woodhouse and Zaid JilaniModerated by Zaid JilaniMusic by Breakmaster CylinderSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/extremelyoffline)

We coordinate with fellow operator in the Brotherhood of Bernard, Liz Bruenig, to derail the political aspirations of a certain Texan politician. We also mourn the losses of the Weakly Standard and our benevolent WASP ruling class.

The People's Policy Project's Matt Bruenig enters the Lefty Shark Tank to pitch a social wealth fund and modern day trustbusters Lina Khan and Sandeep Vaheesan stop by to explain antitrust. (Plus, in between, the debut of the official Current Affairs Ben Shapiro diss track). Read the People's Policy Projects full report on social wealth funds here. Read Matt's pitch for one in the New York Times here. Vanessa's recent article on monopoly is here. Lina's groundbreaking Yale Law Review article on Amazon is here. Sandeep on worker power and monopoly is here. Barry Lynn's monopoly primer is here. Lina and Sandeep are out of the Open Markets Institute. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

Hyvinvointivaltion vastaisku -podcastin jaksossa haastatellaan yhdysvaltalaista sosiaalipolitiikan asiantuntija Matt Bruenigia.Haastattelussa keskitytään muutamaan aiheeseen: Trumpin hallinnon sosiaalipolitiikkaan, perustuloon, julkisiin rahastoihin ja siihen, mikä sai Bruenigin kiinnostumaan alunperin Pohjoismaisesta hyvinvointivaltiosta.Bruenigin perustama People's Policy Project -instituutti on lyhyessä ajassa tuottanut useita Yhdysvaltojen taloustilannetta ja yhteiskuntapolitiikkaa käsitteleviä julkaisuja. Avauksia on käsitelty mm. New York Timesissa, Forbesissa, Current Affairsissa ja Bloombergin, Vicen ja CNBC:n talousuutisissa.Bruenig on myös yksi Hyvinvointivaltion vastaisku -kirjan haastateltavista, ja hänen kommentaarejaan on aiemmin julkaistu Parecon Finlandin blogissa (mm. täällä ja täällä).

We discuss hot topics, including the newest Jacobin socialism piece lighting up the internet. Then, upon listener request, we turn towards some of the key books we have read.

For this episode of The Future Is A Mixtape, Jesse & Matt have a discussion with Matt Bruenig--a lawyer, blogger, political analyst and Twitter-dynamo who's got your back when you're kettled by Roaming Hillbots and Randian Regressives. More importantly though, Matt has just started the first grassroots, people-powered think tank called The People's Policy Project (3P). Funded by small donations from $5 to $15 dollars, 3P is an attempt to actually make Think Tanks “think” again, but for the purpose of actually benefitting the 80% Americans who now own only 20% of the nation's wealth, and are increasingly living lives of quiet desperation. We will discuss Bruenig's childhood, his educational experiences and awareness-path toward political change, his history as a blogger for the think tank Demos, and his surprising success at crowd-funding 3P via Patreon. We will also talk about where Matt plans to take this new and enterprising venture in the years ahead.Mentioned In This Episode: The World of Mattness: The People's History of Matt Bruenig Matt's Official Website and Blog Page Matt's Twitter Page & Wrecking Tweets (@MattBruenig) The People's Policy Project (3P) The People's Policy Project on Twitter (@PplPolicyProj) Some Notable Essays by Matt Bruenig: Here, Here and Here Some Notable Podcasts Where Matt Appears: The Jacobin's The Dig with Danvir: “Bruenig on Why Welfare Is Great and Need More of It” The Katie Halper Show: “Matt Bruenig on Liberals Who Are Actually Conservative + Get Out!” Delete Your Account Podcast: “The Welfare State” Why Snyder Was a Good Last Name (While It Lasted): Gary Snyder as Featured in The New Yorker: “Zen Master” . . . Then “Snyder” Found Bad Luck in the 21st Century: Fallen Marine, Matthew Snyder Heckled by Westboro Church Members as Seen in the SCOTUS case Snyder v. Phelps and in The New York Times: “Justices Rule for Protesters at Military Funerals” Zack Snyder (Awful Director of More Noble Comic Book Heroes) as Explored in The Guardian: “From Suicide Squad to Batman v. Superman, Why Are DC's Films So Bad?” Rick Snyder (Awful Governor of Michigan) Being Roasted and Cross-Examined in The Washington Post: “The Flint Disaster is Rick Snyder's Fault” Do Boys and Girls Like Trucks and Buses or Barbies and Conversation? Or Both? Simon Baron-Cohen in The Guardian: “They Just Can't Help It.” Here Is an Excerpt:"How early are such sex differences in empathy evident? Certainly, by 12 months , girls make more eye contact than boys. But a new study carried out in my lab at Cambridge University shows that at birth, girls look longer at a face, and boys look longer at a suspended mechanical mobile. Furthermore, the Cambridge team found that how much eye contact children make is in part determined by a biological factor: prenatal testosterone. This has been demonstrated by measuring this hormone in amniotic fluid." Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and the Millennials: A Generation Differences Chart Sarah Stankorb in Vogue Magazine: “Xennials, or 30-Something Millennials, a Micro-Generation With a Writer to Thank” Reality Bites - Metaphor and Symbol of the Grunge Age? Or Is It, as Expressed in Jezebel, Lindy West Writes “I Rewatched Reality Bites and It's Basically a Manual for Shitheads” Jim Puzzanghera in The Los Angeles Times: “Economy Has Recovered 8.7 Million Jobs Lost in Great Recession” PBS's 25th Anniversary Special: Looking Back at the LA Riots After the Beating of Rodney King Anna Deavere Smith's Stunning ‘Documentary Theater' Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Savior America's Low-Morale Car Industry and the Comeback King in the 1990s Is Explored in Autotrader: “A Look Back at the Ford Taurus” John Bellamy Foster in The Monthly Review: “The Financialization of Capital and the Crisis” When Contrasting Presidential Terms, 22 Million Jobs Were Created During Clinton Regime Versus Bush 2 Million During His Eight Years in Office: “Job Creation by President: Number and Percent” Sara McClanahan in The American Prospect: “The Consequences of Single Motherhood” Michael Morris in The Huffington Post: “The Earned Income Tax Credit: A Pathway Out of Poverty for Millions of Americans with Disabilities” The Podcast Radiolab Provides A Moving and Deeply Thoughtful Exploration About the History of U.S. High School Debates & What Happens When A Black Queer Student Challenges This Culture as an Institutional Force: “Debatable” The School of Life Explores John Rawls' Life and His Most Important Contribution, The Veil of Ignorance: “POLITICAL THEORY - John Rawls” Lance Weiler in The World Economic Forum: “How Storytelling Has Changed in the Digital Age” Peter Guber in Psychology Today: “The Inside Story”  Excerpt: “Telling stories is not just the oldest form of entertainment, it's the highest form of consciousness. The need for narrative is embedded deep in our brains. Increasingly, success in the information age demands that we harness the hidden power of stories.” Sociology - Relight the Mechanisms That Justify Your Life Story: Social Construction of Reality and Dramaturgy Owen Jones in The Guardian: “The Iraq War Was Not A Blunder or a Mistake. It Was a Crime.” Theresa Amato in Vox: “I Ran Ralph Nader's Campaigns. A Political Revolution Is Vital — and Much Harder Than You Think.” Quinn Norton in Wired: “Beyond the Rhetoric: The Complicated, Brief Life of Occupy Boston” Occupy Riverside Still Exists on Facebook (At Least) The San Bernardino Sun: “Occupy Movements from Inland Empire Meet Together” The Dangers Found in Call-Out-Culture as Explored in Kristian Williams' Long Essay in Toward Freedom: “The Politics of Denunciation” Mark Fisher in The North Star: “Exiting the Vampire Castle” Yamiche Alcindor in The New York Times: “Black Lives Matter Coalition Makes Demands as Campaign Heats Up” “Folk Politics” as Explored by Alex Williams and Nick Srnicek in The Disorder of Things: “Inventing the Future”Classical Definition of “Prefigurative Politics” Samuel Farber in the International Socialist Review: “Reflections on ‘Prefigurative Politics” Jo Freeman's Massively Influential and Famous Essay (Among Activists): “The Tyranny of Structurelessness” Jason Stahl in Jacobin: “Do We Need a Socialist Think Tank?” Nicole Gaudiano in USA Today: “‘The Sanders Institute:' Jane Sanders Launches New Think Tank” Alex Shephard and Clio Chang in The New Republic: “How Neera Tanden Works: Emails released by WikiLeaks reveal the maneuverings of a liberal think-tank president and member of Hillary Clinton's inner circle.” The Spoils System Dino Grandoni in The Atlantic: “Obama Likes the Spoils System as Much as Any President” TINA: There Is No Alternative Adam Curtis' Blog Post About the Origins of the First Think Tank in Britain: “The Curse of Tina” An Excerpt from His Survey About The International Policy Network: “Think Tanks surround politics today and are the very things that are supposed to generate new ideas. But if you go back and look at how they rose up - at who invented them and why - you discover they are not quite what they seem. That in reality they may have nothing to do with genuinely developing new ideas, but have become a branch of the PR industry whose aim is to do the very opposite - to endlessly prop up and reinforce today's accepted political wisdom. So successful have they been in this task that many Think Tanks have actually become serious obstacles to really thinking about new and inspiring visions of how to change society for the better.” Tom Liacas in Mashable: “How Online Activist Groups Are Raising Millions to Keep Corporations in Line” Cesar Chavez's United Food Workers (UFW) Was Successfully Committed and Focused Because It Relied Upon A Large, Balanced Ring of Small-to-Medium Donations; Now as Recorded in Miriam Powell's Article in The Los Angeles Times, “Farmerworkers Reap Little as Union Strays From Its Roots” A History of the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) J.K Trotter in Gawker: “Liberal Think Tank Fires Blogger for Rude Tweets”Michelle Goldberg in Slate Magazine: “Is Matt Bruenig a Populist Martyr?” Sam Levine in The Huffington Post: “Pro-Bernie Blogger Raises $25,000 After Getting Fired For Attacking Clinton Backers” “Scumbag Neera [Tanden]” Was a Play and Meme Allusion on “Scumbag Steve” Deadline Hollywood: “Reza Aslan Out At CNN On Heels Of Trump ‘Piece of Sh*t' Tweet” Matthew's Local Union from UC-AFT (University of California & American Federation of Teachers): 1966! The National Labor Review Board's Position on Social Media Matt Bruenig's GoFundMe Account After Demos Fired Him After Bruenig Raised More Than He Needed, He Asked Supporter to Donate to Eric Harwood's GoFundMe Page. You Can Read About the Story of Harwood in One of Bruenig's Blog Posts Here. Terry Gilliam's Famous Sendup to 1984, Kafka & Bureaucracy with Brazil George Zimmerman ($100,000!): Don't Look Like Him, Matt! “George Zimmerman Auctioning Off Gun He Used to Kill Trayvon Martin” The People's Policy Project (3P): Here Are Some Supporting Writers That Have Contributed to the Think Tank Thus Far . . . Peter Gowan and Mio Tastas Viktorsson's “Tackling Wealth Inequality Like A Swede” Peter Gowan's “Models For Worker Codetermination In Europe” Michelle Styczynski's “What Does The Stock Market Do For Workers' Wages? Nothing” Matthijs Krul's “Does The Dutch Healthcare System Show The Way?” The “About” Page for 3P & an Excerpt:“Unlike most think tanks, which are financed by large corporations and foundations, 3P is funded by small donors pledging $5 to $15 per month on the Patreon platform. This unique funding source enables us to publish policy insights untainted by the compromises typically demanded by monied interests. We are, as the name suggests, the People's Policy Project, not Walmart's Policy Project and not the Gates Foundation's Policy Project. The work of 3P aims to fill the holes left by the current think tank landscape with a special focus on socialist and social democratic economic ideas.” Gus Bagakis in Truthout: “Faith in Charity Is Hopeless: Philanthrocapitalism Has Failed Us” Instead of Philanthrocapitalism How About Givedirectly.org? As One Princeton Study Details, Direct Donations Are Far More Effective than NGOs Matt Bruenig's Policyshop (Blog) at Demos: “How Much Money Would It Take to Eliminate U.S. Poverty?” Alex Emmons in The Intercept: “The Senate's Military Spending Increase Alone Is Enough to Make Public College Free”CNBC News: “A $1,000 Per Month Cash Handout Would Grow the Economy by $2.5 Trillion, New Study Says” Reading the Fine Print, From the Roosevelt Institute, Which Is Glorious to Behold: “Modeling the Macroeconomic Effects of a Universal Basic Income” Matt Bruenig in Medium: “The UBI already exists for the 1%” A Counterattack from Tim Worstall in Forbes Magazine: “Matt Bruenig Says The 1% Already Gets A Universal Basic Income - So Why Not One For All?” Hillary Clinton invented UBI? Did She? Or Is This Matt Snyder's Fib? Dylan Matthews in Vox: “Hillary Clinton Almost Ran for President on a Universal Basic Income” Matt Bruenig's Vision For Changing Society with a Better Understanding of Transforming the Use of Capital: 1: Enlarge Our Welfare System to Something Akin to the Nordic System 2: Expand Labor/Union Rates Via Legal Protections   3: Develop Capital Social Fund Dividends as Seen in Norway Jesse Herring's Suggestion for 7-Point Platform, “The Slingshot Seven”: Healthcare for All Renewable Energy Plan Toward 100% Usage Universal Basic Income (UBI) for All Demilitarization: Both Domestic & Foreign Tuition-Free Education Getting Money Out of Politics $15-Hour Minimum Wage (Adjusted to Inflation) David Levinthal on the Koch Brothers Funding of Colleges in The Atlantic: “Spreading the Free-Market Gospel” Draft Bernie for a People's Party Matt Bruenig in the People's Policy Project: “The Contents Of The New Medicare-For-All Bill” Catherine Rampell's Inflammatory Op-Ed in The Washington Post: “Sanderscare Is All Cheap Politics and Magic Math” Michael Sainato in The Observer: “Recall Campaign for California Democrat Takes Big Step Forward” Physicians for a National Healthcare System: (PNHP): “California Speaker Anthony Rendon Calls for Hearings on Universal Health Care” Elana Schor in Politico: “Chris Murphy's Stealthy Single-Payer Pitch” Ryan Skolnick in Medium: “Rendon is Wrong: SB 562 is Not ‘Woefully Incomplete'” Frantz Pierre's Los Angeles - Basic Income Project on Indiegogo On Patreon: “Scott Santens Is Creating Support for Unconditional Basic Income” The Guardian: “What Makes Norway Is the World's Happiest Country” (2017) CNN's Travel: The Top-Ten Rankings for the Happiest Places on Earth for 2017 Feel Free to Contact Jesse & Matt on the Following Spaces & Places: Email Us: thefutureisamixtape@gmail.com Find Us Via Our Website: The Future Is A Mixtape Or Lollygagging on Social Networks: Facebook Twitter Instagram

TRANSCRIPT Church Militant (a 501(c)4 corporation) is responsible for the content of this commentary. The world of politics is the arena in which the culture and the Church are now colliding head-on in a war for the ages. It's taken a man like Trump to actually set the stage for this epic battle, to set the table for everything to come together. For example, in a stunning admission this past weekend, in light of the announcement of Catholic Amy Coney Barrett by Trump to the Supreme Court, New York Times columnist Elizabeth Bruenig just flat out said, "Judge Barrett's nomination has merely renewed attention to a fundamental conflict, centuries underway, between Catholicism and the American ethos." Well, at least Bruenig has the decency to be upfront about her anti-Catholic bigotry. Most of her Marxist-minded allies do not. But more and more of them are beginning to speak of actual Catholics as some sort of pariahs, speaking of us in terms of the enemies of the State. It's not been that long in this country since Catholics were treated as the enemy. It was really only in the wake of World War II where Catholic servicemen fought alongside millions of their non-Catholic American brothers-in-arms that we caught a break. Ten years later, Abp. Fulton Sheen was dominating the airwaves, speaking of Catholic majesty and truth and virtue. His Life Is Worth Living television show was the number-one-rated show when it aired from 1952 till 1956. He even won the Emmy award for "Most Outstanding Television Personality" in the show's first year. Sheen — American born and Catholic formed — was a strident patriot and a zealous anti-communist. He often railed against the evil of Marxism, even famously saying of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin on the air, "Stalin must one day meet his judgment." The next week, Stalin hit the floor, dead from a stroke. America has Marxist creep. Of course, this was all nearly 70 years ago, and a lot has changed in America since then. America has Marxist creep. It has become this way because the American experiment is based on the foundation of a virtuous people. Once virtue leaves the room, chaos sets in. Sheen never had to talk about widespread ills of our society — fatherless children, shattered families, an acceptance of homosexuality, abortion as the most common surgical procedure performed in the country. It was precisely to prevent evils like this that Sheen preached to begin with. Yet here we are, a nation sunk so low that many are questioning, "Is America on life support; is this its demise?" Despite this past weekend's prayer rally organized by Frankin Graham (with a conspicuous absence of Catholic bishops, incidentally) the large gathering of thousands does not mask that America has traded vice for virtue. Little by little, each election cycle, fewer believers vote, ultimately because there are simply fewer believers to vote. The scales are at the tipping point, and soon, barring some action by Heaven, they will complete their tilt toward godlessness, enshrining immorality into law and eviscerating any opposition to that what Bruening calls "the American ethos." What has happened though is that what she describes as the American ethos is little else than a sophisticated way to speak of Marxism. Her American ethos is as far from the actual American ethos as James Martin's version of Catholicism is from actual Catholicism — which is to say light-years away. Anti-Catholicism will soon become etched into that new ethos if the Marxists win this election. In some ways, in fact, it already has. President Trump had to actually come out this past weekend and address the entire topic of anti-Catholicism. Now the last battle is being waged in the arena of politics. A win here for the Marxists means it's over. Time will be all there is standing between faithful Catholics and those who want to destroy them. Consider, almost a hundred Catholic parishes or shrines around the nation have been vandalized this year. Faithful Catholics have been insulted, spit on at pro-life prayer sessions and vilified in the media for defending Catholic teachings. This will not go away if Biden wins. It will increase — it will, in fact, come to be blessed by the State (for how else should an enemy of the State be treated?). The Church had been neatly prepared to be offered up to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. The case could be made — strongly — that 70 years ago, America was on the verge of becoming Catholic. But that was not to happen. Many of the religious orders — even back then — had already been penetrated (as well as Catholic colleges and universities). The seminaries were beginning to stink of subtle heresy. The Church had been neatly prepared to be offered up to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. By that time, enough of the hierarchy had become corrupt — doctrinally, liturgically, financially or sexually, or in some cases, all of the above. A giant structure of the Church in America had been constructed in those first hundred or so years, and it would take a number of generations to dismantle it. But over the decades, dismantle it they did — the enemies of Christ inside the Church we're speaking of. Their champion is Joe Biden; he is the very model of everything the current American ethos is about. And he is the very model at the same time of all that fraudulent Catholicism is about. He is the son of the fraudulent Church of Nice, and those in his entourage would turn around and smash the authentic Church to pieces. Understand, Catholics who actually believe, understand everything that is at stake here.