Podcasts about DC

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    Best podcasts about DC

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    Latest podcast episodes about DC

    Kevin Kietzman Has Issues
    USA Olympics Shine to "Free Bird", Golden Figure Skater, Bo Jackson Beer Story, Gracie to Turning Point, Voter Id Filibuster History, Trump's Vance/Rubio Crush, Guthrie Won't Return

    Kevin Kietzman Has Issues

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 42:08


       It finally happened and I couldn't be happier.  The US Women's Olympic Hockey Team reeled me in to an Olympics I was pouting over because of all the anti Trump coverage from a giant corporate media machine that doesn't hate you enough.  These women are the best and through a fluke, had their backs to the wall against Canada playing for the gold.  But these "Free Bird" rocking, bad ass, flag waving chicks saved the day in dramatic overtime fashion and did what we would all do.  The wore the metals, put on some Lynyrd Skynyrd and drank champagne into the night. God Bless America!   It had been decades since an American figure skater won gold and that ended as well when Alysa Liu dazzled with pure California style and American swagger.  Her story is one NBC Sports doesn't want you to know as China has tried to pay her millions to compete for them.  Her dad was born Chinese and escaped the oppressive regime for America many, many years ago and we watched a true immigration success story play out right before our eyes.     Royals Hall of Famer Bo Jackson shares a really fun story about a really hot day game at Kauffman Stadium.  Gracie Hunt is headed to Turning Point USA with Erica Kirk this summer.    In DC, it's time for a voter ID standing filibuster in the Senate.  We'll give you a history lesson about the longest filibuster on record.  Here's a hint... it has to do with racist democrats.   Trump opens the Board of Peace in DC and shares a couple man crush stories on JD Vance and Marco Rubio.  Kash Patel talks to much on Dan Bongino's podcast.  A television executive says Savanah Guthrie is never going back to the Today Show.  And a famous comedian could be the reason Trump is president today in our Final Final.  

    Spencer & Vogue
    Introducing: Up To Speed

    Spencer & Vogue

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 1:59


    Vogue & Amber listeners, if you love gossip, scandal and rivalries - we've got a podcast we think you'll love!Step inside sport's greatest soap opera, Formula One, with a brand-new podcast Up To Speed. Hosted by Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, racing driver-turned-broadcaster Naomi Schiff, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, and F1 content creator Jolie Sharpe.Expect razor-sharp reaction, behind-the-scenes insight, blockbuster interviews and answers to the questions you've always wanted to ask! With their deep knowledge, expert analysis and infectious love for racing, Will, Naomi, DC & Jolie dive into the stories that matter - on and off the track.It's fast-paced, unfiltered and full of the gossip that keeps the paddock buzzing.They'll react to the weekend's race drama every Monday. On Thursday they'll deep dive into the biggest stories of the week. Watch and listen to episode 1 now on Global Player, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

    Early Break
    FOOTBALL!!!!! Welcome to Spring Football…where we heard from Rob Aurich for the first time…what did we learn?

    Early Break

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 44:27


    -We will get to Matt Rhule and Dana Holgorsen throughout the show, but we begin with Nebraska's new DC, who gave detailson what his defense looks like and how it can possibly help unlock pass rushers this season-Aurich made good points about how working at small schools and helping develop players can be helpful…what else did he hiton?-And, ROLL CALL (sponsored by Madsen's Bowling & Billiards): where are Breakers listening from today?Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today
    Pres. Trump hosts inaugural meeting of Board of Peace on Gaza reconstruction; Great Britain's former Prince Andrew arrested in connection to Jeffrey Epstein

    C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 63:55


    President Trump hosts in Washington the first meeting of the Board of Peace, designed to build on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and promote reconstruction of Gaza. President says board members have committed $7 billion, and the U.S. will give $10 billion; Former Prince Andrew in Great British is arrested on suspicion of sending trade information to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We will talk about it with C-SPAN's Westminster Correspondent Peter Knowles (16); Day 6 of the Homeland Security Department shutdown. We will talk with Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Chief Congressional Correspondent about where negotiations over federal immigration enforcement reform, a key Democratic demand to reopen the department, stand (30); state governors in Washington, DC for the National Governors Association Winter meeting are asked about Immigration & Customs Enforcement in their states; President Trump travels to Rome, Georgia to talk about the economy; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) kicks off a ballot measure campaign in California for a one-time tax on billionaires; NASA releases the finding of an investigation into the Boeing Starliner spacecraft malfunction that turned what was to be a 10-day mission for two astronauts into a nine month stay on the International Space Station. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    O'Connor & Company
    SEAN KENNEDY, ALLEGED SCANDALS AT LABOR DEPT, POOPTOMAC UPDATE, DEM “ALASKAN NATIVE” SCAM

    O'Connor & Company

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 30:33


    In the 6 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Patrice Onwuka discussed: WMAL GUEST 6:05 AM - INTERVIEW - SEAN KENNEDY - Virginians 4 Safer Communities SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/VA4SafeComm TOPIC: INSANITY: Today, Fairfax Soros DA Steve Descano has declared MURDER *legal* in Fairfax. Premeditated killer Joshua Danehower who stalked & shot Gret Glyer in his bed will avoid prison & soon be released once he is deemed "sane" Labor secretary’s husband banned from HQ after 2 staffers accuse him of sexual assault DC mayor declares Potomac spill emergency, asks Trump for help How A Top Pentagon Contractor Enriches DC Insiders Using Law Intended To Help Eskimos Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Friday, February 20, 2026 / 6 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    RetroRGB Weekly Roundup
    Supporter Q&A #396

    RetroRGB Weekly Roundup

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 34:54


    Here's the Supporter-only Q&A from February 19th, 2026. All comments and questions are fielded through the supporter service Q&A page. Please consider supporting this channel via monthly support services, tips, or even just by using our affiliate links to purchase things you were already going to buy anyway, at no extra cost to you: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.retrorgb.com/support.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠T-Shirts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://retrorgb.link/tshirts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon Recommended List: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://retrorgb.link/amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS (please assume all links are affiliate / paid links that pay RetroRGB a commission on each sale.  Even if links are currently not affiliate, I may update them with one, should a partner list that item for sale in the future):00:00  Welcome!00:07  N64 Expansion Pak Replacements?04:07  Service Menu / Horizontal Shift08:48  Finding a modder for recap and troubleshooting11:42  Ultimate GameCube Build:  https://retrorgb.com/sd2sp2-ace-microsd-gamecube-adapter.html  /  https://retrorgb.com/gamecube-swiss-eth2sp1-ethernet-adapter.html16:24  Krita & DC 480p Patch:  https://github.com/Acly/krita-vision-tools  /  https://retrorgb.com/interview-with-tapamn-480p-dreamcast-patches-solved.html19:34  Double Capture21:22  Rechargeable Wii Sensor Bar?23:46  RT4K Mask Emulation:  https://retrorgb.com/retrotink-4k-energy-normalization-scanlines.html 27:16  Sega CD RAM Cart:  https://retrorgb.com/romcarts.html  /  https://retrorgb.com/sega-cd-ram-cart-project.html30:48  Tito's Video:  https://youtu.be/glmwDklpxUI34:11  Thank You:  https://www.retrorgb.com/support.html

    RBLR Sports
    RBLR Deportes: 19 Febrero 2026

    RBLR Sports

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 57:31


    Empate del Sun FC ante DC, victoria de pretemporada de los Rowdies y mucho más....

    Ag Law in the Field
    Episode #214: Chip English (Ag Law Legends)

    Ag Law in the Field

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 59:34


    I had so much fun chatting with Chip English, a dairy industry lawyer based in Washington, DC.  Chip shares his unique childhood, the story of his career, and his advice for younger attorneys.  You don't want to miss this episode!   Contact Information for Chip English Website Email address: chipenglish@dwt.com   Links to Other Topics Mentioned  American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) Fore Square in Portland, ME National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) USDA Dairy Information Hoard's Dairyman The Milkweed  

    EEVblog
    EEVblog 1735 – Power Rail Probing & Oscilloscope DC Offset EXPLAINED

    EEVblog

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026


    How to measure DC power rail high bandwidth waveforms with the offset control on your oscilloscope. Active Probes, Passive Probes, Z0 probes, and specific DC Power Rail Probes are compared. 00:00 – How to measure power rails with Active Probes and Power Rail probes 08:03 – Signal Skew 09:54 – 10:1 Passive Probe 10:18 – …

    dc offset rail probing oscilloscope eevblog
    City Cast DC
    Potomac River in Deep Shit, Anti-ICE Bills, Cat Fight Over Cat Cafes

    City Cast DC

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 30:57


    It's kind of an emergency! We're talking about the latest in the Potomac River sewage spill. Plus, Maryland and Virginia versus ICE, a union catfight at a kitty cafe, and in a member's only 4th segment, the lawsuit against Donald Trump for trying to steal DC's golf courses.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this February 20th episode: South by Southwest - use code "citycast10" for a 10% discount on your Innovation Badge Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

    The Scathing Atheist
    675: Lies of Commission Edition

    The Scathing Atheist

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 60:00


    In this week's episode, Trump's Religious liberty commission finds itself 1 for 3, Christian Nationalists gather in DC to break the first and second rule of Smite Club, and we'll be joined by the Epstein File's own Michael Marshall.---To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheistTo buy our book, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Outbreak-Crisis-Religion-Ruined-Pandemic/dp/B08L2HSVS8/If you see a news story you think we might be interested in, you can send it here: scathingnews@gmail.comTo check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticratTo check out our sister show's hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-moviesTo check out our half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/To check out our sister show's sister show, D and D minus, click here: https://danddminus.libsyn.com/Report instances of harassment or abuse connected to this show to the Creator Accountability Network here: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/---Guest Links:Check out more from Marsh on Skeptics with a K and the Know Rogan Experience---Headlines:Trump's religious liberty commission is not going awesome: https://apnews.com/article/trump-religious-liberty-commission-antisemtism-0cbdc1f1aa62286aa7688495555b0aa5 and https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/trumps-religious-liberty-commissionMyPillow founder Mike Lindell spent majority of campaign funds buying his own book: https://julieroys.com/mypillow-founder-mike-lindell-spent-majority-campaign-funds-buying-his-own-book/GOP lawmaker asks God to cleanse government of non-believers at Christian Nationalist event: https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/gop-lawmaker-asks-god-to-cleanse

    The Great America Show with Lou Dobbs
    WOW! Republican's Midterm MASTER PLAN LEAKED as Trump Touts Latest VICTORIES!

    The Great America Show with Lou Dobbs

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 28:11


    Susie Wiles met with 100 powerhouse Strategists in DC last night to go over the the winning strategy for the midterms. If the GOP can keep their heads down for the next few months, they have the opportunity of a lifetime to trounce the dems across the board! A senior advisor to President Trump has warned of a 90% chance of military action against Iran in the coming weeks, stating that “the boss is getting fed up.” And Florida may be getting themselves a new airport!Sponsor:My PillowWww.MyPillow.com/johnSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Patriots Unfiltered
    Patriots Unfiltered 2/19: NFL Combine Preview, Prospects/Positions to Watch, Draft Prep

    Patriots Unfiltered

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 120:11 Transcription Available


    Tune in as the PU Crew previews the upcoming 2026 NFL Combine! We talk positions and prospects to watch as the Patriots begin scouting to complete their 2026 roster. We discuss the Patriots biggest needs and which draft prospects best fit the Patriots' schemes. We give our takes on recent league and team news, including the Patriots promoting Zak Kuhr to DC, the Seahawks upcoming sale, and Maxx Crosby's availability. Plus, random yapping about paying rent, living with your parents, mock drafts, and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast
    ITB: What If Christian Parker Was The Missing Piece For The Dallas Cowboys?

    Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 22:29 Transcription Available


    ITB hosts Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher finish a three-part pod series looking at the sweeping coaching changes around the NFC East, in this episode looking at the Cowboys. They go inside the addition of former Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker as DC and what a new defensive staff and philosophy could do for the Eagles' rivals.► Subscribe to our Patreon Channel for exclusive information not seen or heard anywhere else and become among smartest Birds fans out there (just ask our members!!) + get all of our shows commercial free and a lot more!!:https://www.patreon.com/insidethebirds►Support our sponsors!!► Simpli Safe Home Alert System: https://simplisafe.com/BIRDS for 60% OFF!► Camden Apothecary: https://camdenapothecary.com/► Soul Out of Office Gummies: https://getsoul.com. Use Promo Code: BIRDS for 30% off► Sky Motor Cars: https://www.skymotorcars.com/► Download Cash App Today: https://cash.app/ Use code SECURE10 and send $5 to a friend to earn $10. Follow the Hosts!► Follow our Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/InsideBirds► Follow Geoff Mosher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffpmosher► Follow Adam Caplan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caplannflNFL insider veterans take an in-depth look that no other show can offer! Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with the latest news, rumors, and discussions.► Sign up for our newsletter! • Visit http://eepurl.com/hZU4_n.For more, be sure to check out our official website: https://www.insidethebirds.com.

    Robservations with Rob Liefeld
    The Power Of Perez!

    Robservations with Rob Liefeld

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 95:54


    JLA! Titans! Crisis! An episode squarely focused on the most important hire in the history of DC Comics! How George Perez topped the charts, bringing an army of Marvel Zombies across the street to DC with him! Also - Todd McFarlane calls in! A must listen episode if ever there was one! 

    Wendy Bell Radio Podcast
    Hour 2: When DEI Causes All the Fish to DIE

    Wendy Bell Radio Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 38:33


    Gross incompetence at DC Water points back to diversity hiring, and a new CEO whose priority was to carve white men out of executive positions at the water utility while spending half a billion dollars on diversity grants and no-bid, no consequences contracts. And now 300 million gallons of raw sewage is contaminating the Potomac River. Author/investigator Mike McCormick joins us with his own deep dive into the DC sewage problem... which the city has known about for years.

    Psychedelics Today
    PT 649 - Melissa Lavasani and Jay Kopelman

    Psychedelics Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 70:01


    Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman join our podcast to discuss how psychedelic policy is actually moving in Washington, DC. Lavasani leads Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, a DC-based advocacy organization focused on educating federal officials and advancing legislation around psychedelic medicine. Kopelman is CEO of Mission Within Foundation, which provides scholarships for veterans and first responders seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy retreats, often outside the United States. The conversation centers on veterans, the VA, and why that system may be the first realistic federal pathway for psychedelic care. Early Themes Lavasani describes PMC's work on Capitol Hill, including hosting events that bring lawmakers, staffers, and advocates into the same room. Her focus is steady engagement. In DC, progress often happens through repeated conversations, not headlines. Kopelman shares his background as a Marine and how his own psychedelic-assisted therapy experience led him to Mission Within. The foundation has funded more than 250 scholarships for veterans and first responders seeking treatment for PTSD, mild traumatic brain injury, depression, and addiction. They connect this work to pending veteran-focused legislation and explain why the VA matters. As a closed health system, the VA can pilot programs, gather data, and refine protocols without the pressures of private healthcare markets. Core Insights A recent Capitol Hill gathering, For Veteran Society, brought together members of Congress and leaders from the psychedelic caucus. Lavasani describes candid feedback from lawmakers. The message was clear: coordinate messaging, avoid fragmentation, and move while bipartisan interest remains. Veteran healthcare is not framed as the final goal. It is a starting point. If psychedelic therapies can demonstrate safety and effectiveness within the VA, broader adoption becomes more plausible. Kopelman raises operational realities that must be addressed: Standardized safety protocols across providers Integration support, not medication alone Clear training pathways for clinicians Real-world data beyond tightly screened clinical trials They also address recent negative headlines involving ibogaine treatment abroad. Kopelman emphasizes the need for shared learning across providers, especially when adverse events occur. Lavasani argues that inconsistency within the ecosystem can slow federal confidence. Later Discussion and Takeaways The discussion widens to federal momentum around addiction and mental health. Lavasani notes that new funding initiatives signal growing openness to innovative treatment models, even if psychedelics are not named explicitly in every announcement. Both guests stress that policy moves slowly by design. Meetings, follow-ups, and relationship building often matter more than public statements. For clinicians, researchers, operators, and advocates, the takeaways are direct: Veterans are likely the first federal pathway Public education remains essential Safety standards must be shared and transparent Integration and workforce development need attention now If psychedelic medicine enters federal systems, infrastructure will determine success. Frequently Asked Questions What do Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman say about VA psychedelic policy? They argue that veteran-focused legislation offers a realistic first federal pathway for psychedelic-assisted care. Is ibogaine currently available through the VA? No. They discuss ibogaine in the context of private retreats and future possibilities, not an existing VA program. Why do Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman emphasize coordination? Lawmakers respond more positively when advocates present aligned messaging and clear priorities. What safety issues are discussed by Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman? They highlight the need for standardized screening, monitoring, integration support, and transparent review of adverse events. Closing Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman provide a grounded look at how psychedelic policy develops inside federal systems. Their message is practical: veterans may be the first lane, but long-term success depends on coordination, safety standards, and sustained engagement. Closing This episode captures a real-time view of how federal policy could shape the next phase of the psychedelic resurgence, especially through veteran-facing legislation and VA infrastructure. Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman argue that coordination, public education, and shared safety standards will shape whether access expands with credibility and care. Transcript Joe Moore: [00:00:00] Hello everybody. Welcome back to Psychedelics Today. Today we have two guests, um, got Melissa Sani from Psychedelic Medicine Coalition. We got Jake Pelman from Mission Within Foundation. We're gonna talk about I bga I became policy on a recent, uh, set of meetings in Washington, DC and, uh, all sorts of other things I'm sure. Joe Moore: But thank you both for joining me. Melissa Lavasani: Thanks for having us. Jay Kopelman: Yeah, it's a pleasure. Thanks. Joe Moore: Yeah. Um, Melissa, I wanna have you, uh, jump in. First. Can you tell us a little bit about, uh, your work and what you do at PMC? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, so Psychedelic Medicine Coalition is, um, the only DC based Washington DC based advocacy organization dedicated to the advancing the issue of psychedelics, um, and making sure the federal government has the education they need, um, and understands the issue inside out so that they can generate good policy around, around psychedelic medicines. Melissa Lavasani: [00:01:00] Uh, we. Host Hill events. We host other convenings. Our big event every year is the Federal Summit on psychedelic medicine. Um, that's going to be May 14th this year. Um, where we talk about kinda the pressing issues that need to be talked about, uh, with government officials in the room, um, so that we can incrementally move this forward. Melissa Lavasani: Um, our presence here in Washington DC is, is really critical for this issue's success because, um, when we're talking about psychedelic medicines, um, from the federal government pers perspective, you know, they are, they are the ones that are going to initiate the policies that create a healthcare system that can properly facilitate these medicines and make sure, um, patient safety is a priority. Melissa Lavasani: And there's guardrails on this. And, um, you know, there, it's, it's really important that we have. A home base for this issue in Washington DC just [00:02:00] because, uh, this is very complicated as a lot of your viewers probably understand, and, you know, this can get lost in the mix of all the other issues that, um, lawmakers in DC are focused on right now. Melissa Lavasani: And we need to keep that consistent presence here so that this continues to be a priority for members of Congress. Joe Moore: Mm. I love this. And Jay, can you tell us a bit about yourself and mission within Foundation? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, sure. Joe, thanks. Uh, I, I am the CEO of Mission within Foundation. Prior to this, most of my adult life was spent in the military as a Marine. Jay Kopelman: And I came to this. Role after having, uh, a psychedelic assisted therapy experience myself at the mission within down in Mexico, which is where pretty much we all go. Um, we are here to help [00:03:00] provide, uh, access for veterans and first responders to be able to attend psychedelic assisted therapy retreats to treat issues like mild TBI, post-traumatic stress disorder, uh, depression, sometimes addiction at, at a very low level. Jay Kopelman: Um, and, and so we've, we've been doing this for a little more than a year now and have provided 250 plus scholarships to veterans and first responders to be able to access. These retreats and these, these lifesaving medicines. Um, we're also partnered, uh, you may or may not know with Melissa at Psychedelic Medicine Coalition to help advance education and policy, specifically the innovative, uh, therapy Centers of Excellence Act [00:04:00] that Melissa has worked for a number of years on now to bring to both Houses of Congress. Joe Moore: Thank you for that. Um, so let's chat a little bit about what this event was that just, uh, went down, uh, what, what was it two weeks ago at this point? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Yeah. It's called For Veteran Society and it's all, um, there's a lot of dialogue on Capitol Hill about veterans healthcare and psychedelics, but where I've been frustrated is that, you know, it was just a lot of. Melissa Lavasani: Talk about what the problems are and not a lot of talk about like how we actually propel things forward. Um, so it, at that event, I thought it was really important and we had three members of Congress there, um, Morgan Latrell, who has been a champion from day one and his time in Congress, um, having gone through the experience himself, um, [00:05:00] at Mission within, um, and then the two chairs of the psychedelic caucus, uh, Lou Correa and Jack Bergman. Melissa Lavasani: And we really got down to the nitty gritty of like w like why this has taken so long and you know, what is actually happening right now? What are the possibilities and what the roadblocks are. And it was, I thought it was a great conversation. Um, we had an interesting kind of dynamic with Latres is like a very passionate about this issue in particular. Melissa Lavasani: Um, I think it was, I think it was really. A great event. And, you know, two days later, Jack Bergman introduced his new bill for the va. Um, so it was kind of like the precursor to that bill getting introduced. And we're just excited for more and more conversations about how the government can gently guide this issue to success. Joe Moore: Hmm. Yeah. [00:06:00] That's fantastic. Um, yeah, I was a little bummed I couldn't make it, but next time, I hope. But I've heard a lot of good things and, um, it's, it sounded like there was some really important messages in, in terms of like feedback from legislators. Yeah. Yeah. Could you speak to that? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, I mean, I think when, uh, representative Latrell was speaking, he really impressed on us a couple things. Melissa Lavasani: Um, first is that, you know, they really kind of need the advocates to. Coordinate, collaborate and come up with like a, a strategic plan, you know, without public education. Um, talking to members of Congress about this issue is, is really difficult. You know, like PMC is just one organization. We're very little mission within, very little, um, you know, we're all like, kind of new in navigating, um, this not so new issue, but new to Washington DC [00:07:00] issue. Melissa Lavasani: Um, without that public education as a baseline, uh, it's, it's, you have to spend a lot of time educating members of Congress. You know, that's like one of our things is, you know, we have to, we don't wanna tell Congress what direction to go to. We wanna provide them the information so they understand it very intimately and know how to navigate through things. Melissa Lavasani: Um, and secondly. Um, he got pretty frank with us and said, you know, we've got one cha one chance at this issue. And it's like, that's, that's kind of been like my talking point since I started. PMC is like, you have a very limited window, um, when these kind of issues pop up and they're new and they're fresh and you have a lot of the veteran community coming out and talking about it. Melissa Lavasani: And there's a lot of energy there. But now is the time to really move forward, um, with some real legislation that can be impactful. Um, but, you know, we've gotta [00:08:00] be careful. We, we forget, I think sometimes those of us who are in the ecosystem forget that our level of knowledge about these medicines and a lot of us have firsthand experience, um, with these drugs and, and our own healing journeys is, um, we forget that there is a public out there that doesn't have the level of knowledge that we all have. Melissa Lavasani: And, um. We gotta make sure that we're sticking to the right elements of, of, of what needs to happen. We need to be sure that our talking points are on track and we're not getting sideways about anything and going down roads that we don't need to talk about. It's why, um, you know, PMC is very focused on, um, moving forward veteran legislation right now. Melissa Lavasani: Not because we're a veteran organization, but because we're, we see this long-term policy track here. Um, we know where we want to get [00:09:00] to, um. Um, and watching other healthcare issues kind of come up and then go through the VA healthcare system, I think it's a really unique opportunity, um, to utilize the VA as this closed system, the biggest healthcare system in the country to evaluate, uh, how psychedelics operate within systems like that. Melissa Lavasani: And, you know, before they get into, um, other healthcare systems. What do we need to fix? What do we need to pay attention to? What's something that we're paying too much attention to that doesn't necessarily need that much attention? So it's, um, it's a real opportunity to look at psychedelic medicines within a healthcare system and obviously continue to gather the data. Melissa Lavasani: Um, Bergman's Bill emerging, uh, expanding veteran access to emerging treatments. Um, not only mandates the research, it gives the VA authority for this, uh, for running trials and, and creating programs around psychedelic medicines. But also, [00:10:00] one of the great things about it, I think, is it provides an on-ramp for veterans that don't necessarily qualify for clinical trials. Melissa Lavasani: You know, I think that's one of the biggest criticisms of clinical trials is like you're cre you're creating a vacuum for people and people don't live in a vacuum. So we don't necessarily know what psychedelics are gonna look like in real life. Um, but with this expanding veteran access bill that Bergman introduced, it provides the VA an opportunity to provide this access under. Melissa Lavasani: Um, in a, in a safe container with medical supervision while collecting data, um, while ensuring that the veteran that is going through this process has the support systems that it needs. So, um, you know, I think that there's a really unique opportunity here, and like Latrell said, like, we've got one shot at this. Melissa Lavasani: We have people's attention in Congress. Um, now's the time to start acting, and let's be really considerate and thoughtful about what we're doing with it. Joe Moore: Thanks for that, Melissa and Jay, how, [00:11:00] anything to add there on kind of your takeaways from the this, uh, last visit in dc? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, I, I think that Melissa highlighted it really well and there, there were a couple other things that I, I think, you know, you could kind of tie it all together with some other issues that we face in this country, uh, and that. Jay Kopelman: Uh, representative Correa brought up as well, but one of the things I wanted to go back and say is that veterans have kind of led this movement already, right? So, so it's a, it's a good jumping off point, right? That it's something people from both sides of the aisle, from any community in America can get behind. Jay Kopelman: You know, if you think about it, uh, in World War ii, you know, we had a million people serving our population was like, not even 200 million, but now [00:12:00] we have a population of 330 million, and at any given time there might be a million people in uniform, including the Reserve and the National Guard. So it's, it, it's an easy thing to get behind this small part of the population that is willing to sign that contract. Jay Kopelman: Where you are saying, yeah, I'm going to defend my country, possibly at the risk of my l my own life. So that's the first thing. The other thing is that the VA being a closed health system, and they don't have shareholders to answer to, they can take some risks, they can be innovative and be forward thinking in the ways that some other healthcare systems can't. Jay Kopelman: And so they have a perfect opportunity to show that they truly care for their veterans, which don't, I'm not saying they don't, but this would be an [00:13:00] opportunity to show that carrot at a whole different level. Uh, it would allow them to innovate and be a leader in something as, uh, as our friend Jim Hancock will say, you know. Jay Kopelman: When he went to the Naval Academy, they had the world's best shipbuilding program. Why doesn't the VA have the world's best care program for things like TBI and PTSD, which affects, you know, 40 something percent of all veterans, right? So, so there's, there's an opportunity here for the VA to lead from the front. Jay Kopelman: Um, the, these medicines provide, you know, reasonably lasting care where it's kind of a one and done. Whereas with the current systems, the, you know, and, and [00:14:00] again, not to denigrate the VA in any way, they're doing the best job they can with the tools in their toolbox, right? But maybe it's time for a trip to Home Depot. Jay Kopelman: Let's get some new tools. And have some new ways of fixing what's broken, which is really the way of doing things. It's not, veterans aren't broken, we are who we are. Um, but it's a, it's a way to fix what isn't working. So I, I think that, you know, given there's tremendous veteran homelessness still, you know, addiction issues, all these things that do translate to the population at large are things that can be worked on in this one system, the va that can then be shown to have efficacy, have good data, have [00:15:00] good outcomes, and, and take it to the population at large. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Brilliant. Thanks for that. And so there was another thing I wanted to pivot to, which is some of the recent press. So we've, um, seen a little bit of press around some, um, in one instance, some bad behavior in Mexico that a FI put out Americans thrive again, put out. And then another case there was a, a recent fatality. Joe Moore: And I think, um, both are tragic. Like we shouldn't be having to deal with this at this point. Um, but there's a lot of things that got us here. Um, it's not necessarily the operator's fault entirely, um, or even at all, honestly, like some medical interventions just carry a lot of risk. Like think, think about like, uh, how risky bypass surgery was in the nineties, right? Joe Moore: Like people were dying a lot from medical interventions and um, you know, this is a major intervention, uh, ibogaine [00:16:00] and also a lot of promise. To help people quite a bit. Um, but as of right now, there's, there's risk. And part of that risk, in my opinion, comes from the inability of organizations to necessarily collaborate. Joe Moore: Like there's no kind of convening body, sitting in the middle, allowing, um, for, and facilitating really good data sharing and learnings. Um, and I don't, I don't necessarily see an organization stepping up and being the, um, the convener for that kind of work. I've heard rumors that something's gonna happen there, and I'm, I'm hopeful I'll always wanna share my opinion on that. Joe Moore: But yeah. I don't know. Jay, from your perspective, is there anything you want to kind of speak to about, uh, these two recent incidents that Americans for Iboga kind of publicized recently? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, so I, I'll echo your sentiment, of course, that these are tragic incidents. Um, and I, [00:17:00] I think that at least in the case of the death at Ambio, AMBIO has done a very good job of talking about it, right? Jay Kopelman: They've been very honest with the information that they have. And like you said, there are risks inherent to these medicines, and it's like anything else in medicine, there are going to be risks. You know, when I went through, uh, when I, when I went through chemo, you know, there were, there are risks. You know, you don't feel well, you get sick. Jay Kopelman: Um, and, and it. There are processes in place to counter that when it happens. And there are processes and, and procedures and safety protocols in place when caring for somebody going through an ibogaine [00:18:00] journey. Uh, when I did it, we had EKG echocardiogram. You're on a heart monitor the entire time they push magnesium via iv. Jay Kopelman: You have to provide a urinalysis sample to make sure that there is nothing in your system that is going to potentially harm you. During the ibogaine, they have, uh, a cardiologist who is monitoring the heart monitors throughout the ibogaine experience. So the, the safety protocols are there. I think it's, I think it's just a matter of. Jay Kopelman: Standardizing them across all, all providers, right? Like, that would be a good thing if people would talk to one another. Um, as, as in any system, right? You've gotta have [00:19:00] some collaboration. You've gotta have standardization, you know, so, you know, they're not called standard operating procedures for nothing. Jay Kopelman: That means that in a, you know, in a given environment, everybody does things the same way. It's true in Navy and Marine Corps, air Force, army Aviation, they have standard operating procedures for every single aircraft. So if you fly, let's say the F 35 now, right? Because it's flown by the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force. Jay Kopelman: The, the emergency procedures in that airplane are standardized across all three services, so you should have the same, or, you know, with within a couple of different words, the same procedures and processes [00:20:00] across all the providers, right? Like maybe in one document you're gonna change, happy to glad and small dog to puppy, but it's still pretty much the, the same thing. Jay Kopelman: And as a service that provides scholarships to people to go access these medicines and go to these retreats, you know, my criteria is that the, this provider has to be safe. Number one, safety's paramount. It's always gotta be very safe. It should, it has to be effective. And you know, once you have those two things in place, then I have a comfort level saying, okay, yeah, we'll work with this provider. Jay Kopelman: But until those standardized processes are in place, you'll probably see these one-off things. I mean, some providers have been doing this longer than others and have [00:21:00] really figured out, you know, they've, they've cracked the code and, you know, sharing that across the spectrum would be good. Um, but just when these things happen, having a clearing house, right, where everybody can come together and talk about it, you know, like once the facts are known because. Jay Kopelman: To my knowledge, we still don't know all the facts. Like as, you know, as horrible as this is, you still have to talk about like an, has an autopsy been performed? What was found in the patient's system? You know, there, there are things there that we don't know. So we need to, we need to know that before we can start saying, okay, well this is how we can fix that, because we just don't know. Jay Kopelman: And, you know, to their credit, you know, Amio has always been safe to, to the, to the best of my knowledge. You know, I, [00:22:00] I haven't been to Ambio myself, but people that I have worked with have been there. They have observed, they have seen the process. They believe it's safe, and I trust their opinion because they've seen it elsewhere as well. Jay Kopelman: So yeah, having, having that one place where we can all come together when this happens, it, it's almost like it should be mandatory. In the military when there's a training accident, we, you know, we would have to have what's called a safety standout. And you don't do that again for a little while until you figure out, okay, how are we going to mitigate that happening again? Jay Kopelman: Believe me, you can go overboard and we don't want to do that. Like, we don't wanna just stop all care, but maybe stop detox for a week and then come back to it. [00:23:00] Joe Moore: Yeah. A dream would be, let's get like the, I don't know, 10, 20 most popular, uh, or well-known operators together somewhere and just do like a three day debrief. Joe Moore: Hey, everybody, like, here's what we see. Let's work on this together. You know how normal medicine works. And this is, it's hard because this is not necessarily, um, something people feel safe about in America talking about 'cause it's illicit here. Um, I don't understand necessarily how the operations, uh, relate to each other in Mexico, but I think that's something to like the public should dig into. Joe Moore: Like, what, what is this? And I, I'll start digging into that. Um, I, I asked a question recently of somebody like, is there some sort of like back channel signal everybody's using and there's no clear Yes. You know? Um, I think it would be good. That's just a [00:24:00] start, you know, that's like, okay, we can actually kind of say hi and watch out for this to each other. Jay Kopelman: It's not like we don't all know one another, right? Joe Moore: Yes. Jay Kopelman: Like at least three operators we're represented. At the Aspen Ibogaine meeting. So like that could be, and I think there was a panel kind of loosely related to this during Aspen Ibogaine meeting, but Joe Moore: mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: It, you know, have a breakout where the operators can go sit down and kind of compare notes. Joe Moore: Right. Yeah. Melissa, do you have any, uh, comments on this thread here? And I, I put you on mute if you didn't see that. Um, Melissa Lavasani: all right, I'm off mute. Um, yeah, I think that Jay's hits the nail on the head with the collaboration thing. Um, I think that it's just a [00:25:00] problem across the entire ecosystem, and I think that's just a product of us being relatively new and upcoming field. Melissa Lavasani: Um, uh, it's a product of, you know. Our fundraising community is really small, so organizations feel like they are competing for the same dollars, even though their, their goals are all the same, they have different functions. Um, I think with time, I mean, let's be honest, like if we don't start collaborating and, and the federal government's moving forward, the federal government's gonna coordinate for us. Melissa Lavasani: And not, that might not necessarily be a bad thing, but, you know, we understand this issue to a whole other level that the federal government doesn't, and they're not required to understand it deeply. They just need to know how to really move forward with it the proper way. Um, but I think that it. It's really essential [00:26:00] that we all have this come together moment here so we can avoid things. Melissa Lavasani: Uh, I mean, no one's gonna die from bad advocacy. So like I've, I have a bit of an easier job. Um, but it can a, a absolutely stall efforts, um, to move things forward in Washington DC when, um, one group is saying one thing, another group is saying another thing, like, we're not quite at a point yet where we can have multiple lines of conversation and multiple things moving forward. Melissa Lavasani: Um, you know, for PMC, it's like, just let's get the first thing across the finish line. And we think that is, um, veteran healthcare. And, um, I know there's plenty of other groups out there that, that want the same thing. So, you know, I always, the reason why I put on the Federal Summit last year was I kind of hit my breaking point with a lack of collaboration and I wanted to just bring everyone in the same room and say like, all right, here are the things that we need to talk about. Melissa Lavasani: And I think the goal for this year is, um. To bring people in the same room and say, we talked about [00:27:00] we scratched the surface last year and this is where we need to really put our efforts into. And this is where the opportunities are. Um, I think that is going to, that's going to show the federal government if we can organize ourselves, that they need to take this issue really seriously. Melissa Lavasani: Um, I don't think we've done a great job at that thus far, but I think there's still plenty of time for us to get it together. Um, and I'm hoping with these two, uh, VA bills that are in the house right now and Senate is, is putting together their version of these two bills, um, so that they can move in tandem with each other. Melissa Lavasani: I think that, you know, there's an opportunity here for. Us to show the federal government as an ecosystem, Hey, we, we are so much further ahead and you know, this is what we've organized and here's how we can help you, um, that would make them buy into this issue a bit more and potentially move things forward faster. Melissa Lavasani: Uh, at this point in time, it's, I think that, [00:28:00] you know, psychedelics aren't necessarily the taboo thing that they, they used to be, but there's certainly places that need attention. Um, there's certainly conversations that need to be had, and like I said, like PMC is just one organization that can do this. Um, we can certainly organize and drive forward collaboration, but I, like we alone, cannot cover all this ground and we need the subject matter experts to collaborate with us so we can, you know, once we get in the door, we wanna bring the experts in to talk to these officials about it. Melissa Lavasani: So I. I, I really want listeners to really think about us as a convener of sorts when it comes to federal policy. Um, and you know, I think when, like for example, in the early eighties, a lot of people have made comparisons to the issue of psychedelics to the issue of AIDS research and how you have in a subject matter that's like extremely taboo and a patient population that the government [00:29:00] quite honestly didn't really care about in the early eighties. Melissa Lavasani: But what they did as an ecosystem is really organized themselves, get very clear on what they wanted the federal government to do. And within a matter of a couple years, uh, AIDS research funding was a thing that was happening. And what that, what that did was that ripple effect turned that into basically finding new therapies for something that we thought was a death, death sentence before. Melissa Lavasani: So I think. We just need to look at things in the past that have been really successful, um, and, and try to take the lessons from all of these issues and, and move forward with psychedelics. Joe Moore: Love that. And yes, we always need to be figuring out efficient approaches and where it has been successful in the past is often, um, an opportunity to mimic and, and potentially improve on that. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Jay Kopelman: One, one thing I think it's important to add to this part of the conversation is that, [00:30:00] you know, Melissa pointed out there are a number of organizations that are essentially doing the same thing. Jay Kopelman: Um, you know, I like to think we do things a little bit differently at Mission within Foundation in that we don't target any one specific type of service member. We, we work with all veterans. We work with first responders, but. What that leads to is that there are, as far as I've seen, nothing but good intentioned people in this space. Jay Kopelman: You know, people who really care about their patient population, they care about healing, they are trying to do a good job, and more importantly, they're trying to do good. Right? It, it, I think they all see the benefit down the road that this has, [00:31:00] pardon me, not just for veterans, but for society as a whole. Jay Kopelman: And, and ultimately that's where I would like to see this go. You know, I, I would love to see the VA take this. Take up this mantle and, and run with it and provide great data, great outcomes. You know, we are doing some data collection ourselves at Mission within foundation, albeit anecdotal based on surveys given before and after retreats. Jay Kopelman: But we're also working with, uh, Greg Fonzo down at UT Austin on a brain study he's doing that will have 40 patients in it when it's all said and done. And I think we have two more guys to put through that. Uh, and then we'll hit the 40. So there, there's a lot of good here that's being done by some really, really good people who've been doing this for a long time [00:32:00] and want to want nothing more than to, to see this. Jay Kopelman: Come to, come full circle so that we can take care of many, many, many people. Um, you know, like I say, I, I wanna work myself out of a job here. I, I just, I would love to see this happen and then I, you know, I don't have to send guys to Mexico to do this. They can go to their local VA and get the care that they need. Jay Kopelman: Um, but one thing that I don't think we've touched on yet, or regarding that is that the VA isn't designed for that. So it's gonna be a pretty big lift to get the right types of providers into the va with the knowledge, right, with the institutional knowledge of how this should be done, what is safe, what is effective, um, and then it, it's not just providing these medicines to [00:33:00] people and sending them home. Jay Kopelman: You don't just do that, you've gotta have the right therapists on the backend who can provide the integration coaching to the folks who are receiving these medicines. And I'm not just talking, I bga, even with MDMA and psilocybin, you should have a proper period of integration. It helps you to understand how this is going to affect you, what it, what the experience really meant, you know, because it's very difficult sometimes to just interpret it on your own. Jay Kopelman: And so what the experience was and what it meant to you. And, and so it will take some time to spin all that up. But once it's, once it's in place, you know, the sky's the limit. I think. Joe Moore: Kinda curious Jay, about what's, what's going on with Ibogaine at the federal level. Is there anything at VA right now? [00:34:00] Jay Kopelman: At the va? No, not with ibogaine. And, you know, uh, we, we send people specifically for IBOGAINE and five MEO, right? And, and so that, that doesn't preclude my interest in seeing this legislation passed, right? Jay Kopelman: Because it, it will start with something like MDMA or psilocybin, but ultimately it could grow to iboga, right? It the think about the cost savings at, at the va, even with psilocybin, right? Where you could potentially treat somebody with a very inexpensive dose of psilocybin or, or iboga one time, and then you, you don't have to treat them again. Jay Kopelman: Now, if I were, uh, you know, a VA therapist who's not trained in psychedelic trauma therapy. I might be worried [00:35:00] about job security, but it's like with anything, right? Like ultimately it will open pathways for new people to get that training or the existing people to get that training and, and stay on and do that work. Jay Kopelman: Um, which only adds another arrow to their quiver as far as I'm concerned, because this is coming and we're gonna need the people. It's just like ai, right? Like ai, yeah. Some people are gonna lose some jobs initially, and that's unfortunate. But productivity ultimately across all industries will increase and new jobs will be created as a result of that. Jay Kopelman: I mean, I was watching Squawk Box one morning. They were talking about the AI revolution and how there's gonna be a need for 500,000 electricians to. Build these systems that are going to work with the AI [00:36:00] supercomputers and, and so, Joe Moore: mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: Where, where an opportunity may be lost. I think several more can be gained going forward. Melissa Lavasani: And just to add on what Jay just said there, there's nothing specific going on with Ibogaine at, at the va, but I think this administration is, is taking a real look at addiction in particular. Uh, they just launched, uh, a new initiative, uh, that's really centered on addiction treatments called the Great American Recovery. Melissa Lavasani: And, um, they're dedicating a hundred million dollars towards treating addiction as like a chronic treatable disease and not necessarily a law enforcement issue. So, um, in that initiative there will be federal grant programs for prevention and treatment and recovery. And, um, while this isn't just for psychedelic medicines, uh, I think it's a really great opportunity for the discussion of psychedelics to get elevated to the White House. Melissa Lavasani: Um, [00:37:00] there's also, previous to this announcement last week from the White House, there's been a hundred million dollars that was dedicated at, um, at ARPA h, which is. The advanced research projects, uh, agency for healthcare, um, and that is kind of an agency that's really focused on forward looking, um, treatments and technologies, uh, for, um, a, a whole slew of. Melissa Lavasani: Of issues, but this a hundred million dollars is dedicated to mental health and addiction. So there's a lot of opportunity there as well. So we, while I think, you know, some people are talking about, oh, we need a executive order on Iboga, it's like, well, you know, the, the president is thinking, um, about, you know, what issues can land with his, uh, voting block. Melissa Lavasani: And I think it's, I don't think we necessarily need a specific executive order on Iboga to call this a success. It's like, let's look at what, [00:38:00] um, what's just been announced from the White House. They're, they're all in on. Thinking creatively and finding, uh, new solutions for this. And this is kind of, this aligns with, um, HHS secretaries, uh, Robert F. Melissa Lavasani: Kennedy Junior's goals when he took on this, this role of Health Secretary. Um, addiction has been a discussion that, you know, he has personal, um, a personal tie to from his own experience. And, um, I think when this administration started, there was so much like fervor around the, the dialogue of like, everyone's talking about psychedelics. Melissa Lavasani: It was Secretary Kennedy, it was, uh, secretary Collins at the va. It was FDA Commissioner Marty Macari. And I think that there's like a lot of undue frustration within folks 'cause um, you don't necessarily snap your fingers and change happens in Washington dc This is not the city for that. And it's intentionally designed to move slow so that we can avoid really big mistakes. Melissa Lavasani: Um. [00:39:00] I think we're a year into this administration and these two announcements are, are pretty huge considering, um, you know, the, we, there are known people within domestic policy council that don't, aren't necessarily supportive of psychedelic medicine. So there's a really amazing progress here, and frustrating as it might be to, um, just be waiting for this administration to make some major move. Melissa Lavasani: I think they are making major moves like for Washington, DC These, these are major moves and we just gotta figure out how we can, um, take these initiatives and apply them to the issue of psychedelic medicines. Joe Moore: Thanks, Melissa. Um, yeah, it is, it is interesting like the amount of fervor there was at the beginning. You know, we had, uh. Kind of one of my old lawyers, Matt Zorn, jumped in with the administration. Right. And, um, you know, it was, uh, really cool to [00:40:00] see and hopeful how much energy was going on. It's been a little quiet, kind of feels like a black box a little bit, but I, you know, there was, Melissa Lavasani: that's on me. Melissa Lavasani: Maybe I, we need to be more out in public about like, what's actually happening, because I feel like, like day in and day out, it's just been, you gotta just mm-hmm. Like have that constant beat with the government. Mm-hmm. And, um, it's, it's, it's not the photo ops on the hill, it's the conversations that you have. Melissa Lavasani: It's the dinner parties you go to, it's the fundraisers you attend, you know? Mm-hmm. That's why I, I kind of have to like toot my own horn with PCs. Like, we need to be present here at, at not only on the Hill, not only at the White House, but kind of in the ecosystem of Washington DC itself. There's, it's, there are like power players here. Melissa Lavasani: There are people that are connected that can get things done, like. I mean, the other last week we had a big snow storm. I walked over to my friend's house, um, to have like a little fire sesh with them and our kids, and his next door neighbor came over. He was a member of Congress. I talked about the VA bills, like [00:41:00] we're reaching out to his office now, um, to get them, um, up to speed and hopefully get their co-sponsorship for, uh, the two VA bills. Melissa Lavasani: So, I mean, it, the little conversations you have here are just as important as the big ones with the photo ops. So, um, it, it's, it's really like, you know, building up that momentum and, and finding that time where you can really strike and make something happen. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Jay, anything to add there? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, I was just gonna say that, you know, I, I, I think the fervor is still there, right? Jay Kopelman: But real life happens. Melissa Lavasani: Yes, Jay Kopelman: yes. And gets in the way, right? So, Melissa Lavasani: yeah, Jay Kopelman: I, I can't imagine how many issues. Secretary Kennedy has every day much less the president. Like there's so many things that they are dealing with on a daily basis, right? It, we, we just have to work to be the squeaky wheel in, in the right way, right. Jay Kopelman: [00:42:00] With the, with the right information at the right time. Like just inundating one of these organizations with noise, it's then it be with Informa, it just becomes noise, right? It it, it doesn't help. So when we have things to say that are meaningful and impactful, we do, and Melissa does an amazing job of that. Jay Kopelman: But, you know, it, it takes time. You know, it's, you know, we're not, this is, this is like turning an aircraft carrier, not a ski boat. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, Joe Moore: yeah, absolutely. Um, and. It's, it's understandably frustrating, I think for the public and the psychedelic public in particular because we see all this hope, you know, we continue to get frustrated at politics. It's nothing new, right? Um, and we, we wanna see more people get well immediately. [00:43:00] And I, I kind of, Jay from the veteran perspective, I do love the kind of loud voices like, you're making me go to Mexico for this. Joe Moore: I did that and you're making me leave the country for the thing that's gonna fix me. Like, no way. And barely a recognition that this is a valid treatment. You know, like, you know, that is complicated given how medicine is structured here domestically. But it's also, let's face the facts, like the drug war kind of prevented us from being able to do this research in the first place. Joe Moore: You know? Thanks Nixon. And like, how do we actually kind of correct course and say like, we need to spend appropriately on science here so we can heal our own people, including veterans and everybody really. It's a, it's a dire situation out there. Jay Kopelman: Yeah. It, it really is. Um, you know, we were talking briefly about addicts, right? Jay Kopelman: And you know, it's not sexy. People think of addicts as people who are weak-minded, [00:44:00] right? They don't have any self-control. Um, but, but look at, look at the opioid crisis, right? That Brian Hubbard was fighting against in Kentucky for all those years. That that was something that was given to the patient by a doctor that they then became dependent on, and a lot of people died from that. Jay Kopelman: And, and so you, you know, it's, I I don't think it's fair to just put all addicts in a box. Just like it's not fair to put all veterans in a box. Just like it's not fair for doctors, put all their patients in a box. We're individuals. We, we have individual needs. Our, our health is very individual. Like, I, I don't think I should be put in the same box as every other 66-year-old that my doctor sees. Jay Kopelman: It's not fair. [00:45:00] You know, if you, if you took my high school classmates and put us all in a photo, we're all gonna have different needs, right? Like, some look like they're 76, not 66. Some look like they're 56. Not like they're, we, we do things differently. We live our lives differently. And the same is true of addicts. Jay Kopelman: They come to addiction from different places. Not everybody decides they want to just try heroin at a party, and all of a sudden they're addicted. It happens in, in different ways, you know, and the whole fentanyl thing has been so daggum nefarious, right? You know, pushing fentanyl into marijuana. Jay Kopelman: Somebody's smoking a joint and all of a sudden they're addicted to fentanyl or they die. Melissa Lavasani: I think we're having a, Jay Kopelman: it's, it's just not fair to, to say everybody in this pot is the same, or everybody in this one is the same. We have [00:46:00] to look at it differently. Joe Moore: Yeah. I like to zoom one level out and kind of talk about, um, just how hurt we are as a country, as a world really, but as a country specifically, and how many people are out of work for so many. Joe Moore: Difficult reasons and away from their families for so many kind of tragic reasons. And if we can get people back to their families and back to work, a lot of these things start to self-correct, but we have to like have those interventions where we can heal folks and, and get them back. Um, yeah. And you know, everything from trauma, uh, in childhood, you know, adulthood, combat, whatever it is. Joe Moore: Like these things can put people on the sidelines. And Jay, to your point, like you get knee surgery and all of a sudden you're, you know, two years later you're on the hunt for Fentanyl daily. You know, that's tough. It's really tough. Carl Hart does a good job talking about this kind of addiction pipeline and [00:47:00] a few others do as well. Joe Moore: But it's just, you know, kind of putting it in a moral failure bucket. It's not great. I was chatting with somebody about, um, veterans, it's like you come back and you're like, what's gonna make me feel okay right now? And it's not always alcohol. Um, like this is the first thing that made me feel okay, because there's not great treatments and there's, there's a lot of improvements in this kind of like bringing people back from the field that needs to happen. Joe Moore: In my opinion. I, it seems to be shared by a lot of people, but yeah, there's, it's, it's, IGA is gonna be great. It's gonna be really important. I really can't wait for it to be at scale appropriately, but there's a lot of other things we need to fix too, um, so that we can just, you know, not have so many people we need to, you know, spend so much money healing. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: Yeah. You ahead with that. We don't need the president to sign an executive order to automatically legalize Ibogaine. Right. But it would be nice if he would reschedule it so that [00:48:00] then then researchers could do this research on a larger scale. You know, we could, we could now get some real data that would show the efficacy. Jay Kopelman: And it could be done in a safe environment, you know? And, and so that would be, do Joe Moore: you have any kind of figures, like, like, I've been talking about this for a while, Jay. Like, does it drop the cost a lot of doing research when we deschedule things? Jay Kopelman: I, I would imagine so, because it'll drop the cost of accessing the medicines that are being researched. Jay Kopelman: Right? You, you would have buy-in from more organizations. You know, you might even have a pharma company that comes into this, you know, look at j and j with the ketamine, right? They have, they have a nasal spray version of ketamine that's doing very well. I mean, it's probably their, their biggest revenue [00:49:00] provider for them right now. Jay Kopelman: And, and so. You know, you, it would certainly help and I think, I think it would lower costs of research to have something rescheduled rather than being schedule one. You know it, people are afraid to take chances when you're talking about Schedule one Melissa Lavasani: labs or they just don't have the money to research things that are on Schedule one. Melissa Lavasani: 'cause there's so much in an incredible amount of red tape that you have to go through and, and your facility has to be a certain way and how you contain those, uh, medicines. Oh, researching has to be in a specific container and it's just very cumbersome to research schedule one drugs. So absolutely the cost would go down. Melissa Lavasani: Um, but Joe Moore: yeah, absolutely. Less safes. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Joe Moore: Yes. Less uh, Melissa Lavasani: right. Joe Moore: Locked. Yeah. Um, it'll be really interesting when that happens. I'm gonna hold out faith. That we can see some [00:50:00] movement here. Um, because yeah, like why make healing more expensive than it needs to be? I think like that's potentially a protectionist move. Joe Moore: Like, I'm not, I'm not here yet, but, um, look at AbbVie's, uh, acquisition of the Gilgamesh ip. Mm-hmm. Like that's a really interesting move. I think it was $1.2 billion. Mm-hmm. So they're gonna wanna protect that investment. Um, and it's likely going to be an approved medication. Like, I don't, I don't see a world in which it's not an approved medication. Joe Moore: Um, you know, I don't know a timeline, I would say Jay Kopelman: yeah. Joe Moore: Less than six years, just given how much cash they've got. But who knows, like, I haven't followed it too closely. So, and that's an I bga derivative to be clear, everybody, um mm-hmm. If you're not, um, in, in the loop on that, which is hopeful, you know? Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. But I don't know what the efficacy is gonna be with that compared to Ibogaine and then we have to talk about the kind of proprietary molecule stuff. Um, there's like a whole bunch of things that are gonna go on here, and this is one of the reasons why I'm excited about. Federal involvement [00:51:00] because we might actually be able to have some sort of centralized manufacturer, um, or at least the VA could license three or four generic manufacturers per for instance, and that way prices aren't gonna be, you know, eight grand a dose or whatever. Joe Moore: You know, it's, Jay Kopelman: well, I think it's a very exciting time in the space. You know, I, I think that there's the opportunity for innovation. There is the opportunity for collaboration. There's the opportunity for, you know, long-term healing at a very low cost. You know, that we, we have the highest healthcare cost per capita in the world right here in the us. Jay Kopelman: And, and yet we are not the number one health system in the world. So to me, that doesn't add up. So we need to figure out a way to start. Bringing costs down for a lot of people and [00:52:00] at the same time increasing, increasing outcomes. Joe Moore: Absolutely. Yeah. There's a lot of possible outcome improvements here and, and you know, everything from relapse rates, like we hear often about people leaving a clinic and they go and overdose when they get home. Tragically, too common. I think there's everything from, you know, I'm Jay, I'm involved in an organization called the Psychedelics and Pain Association. Joe Moore: We look at chronic pain very seriously, and IGA is something we are really interested in. And if. We could have better, you know, research, there better outcome measures there. Um, you know, perhaps we can have less people on opioids to begin with from chronic pain conditions. Um, Jay Kopelman: yeah, I, I might be due for another Ibogaine journey then, because I deal with chronic pain from Jiujitsu, but, Joe Moore: oh gosh, let's Jay Kopelman: talk Joe Moore: later. Jay Kopelman: That's self inflicted. Some people would say take a month off, but Melissa Lavasani: yeah, Jay Kopelman: I'm [00:53:00] not, I'm not that smart. Joe Moore: Yeah. Um, but you know, this, uh, yeah, this whole thing is gonna be really interesting to see how it plays out. I'm endlessly hopeful pull because I'm still here. Right. I, I've been at this for almost 10 years now, very publicly, and I think we are seeing a lot of movement. Joe Moore: It's not always what we actually wanna see, but it is movement nonetheless. You know, how many people are writing on this now than there were before? Right. You know, we, we have people in New York Times writing somewhat regularly about psychedelics and. Even international media is covering it. What do we have legalization in Australia somewhat recently for psilocybin and MDMA, Czech Republic. Joe Moore: I think Germany made some moves recently. Mm-hmm. Um, really interesting to see how this is gonna just keep shifting. Um Jay Kopelman: mm-hmm. Joe Moore: And I think there's no way that we're not gonna have prescription psychedelics in three years in the United States. It pro probably more like a [00:54:00] year and a half. I don't know. Do you, are you all taking odds? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. I mean, I think Jay Kopelman: I, I gotta check Cal sheet, see what they're saying. Melissa Lavasani: I think it's safe to say, I mean, this could even come potentially the end of this year, I think, but definitely by the end of 2027, there's gonna be at least one psychedelic that's FDA approved. Joe Moore: Yeah. Yeah. Melissa Lavasani: If you're not counting Ketamine. Joe Moore: Right. Jay Kopelman: I, I mean, I mean it mm-hmm. It, it doesn't make sense that it. Shouldn't be or wouldn't be. Right. The, we've seen the benefits. Mm-hmm. We know what they are. It's at a very low cost, but you have to keep in mind that these things, they need to be done with the right set setting and container. Right. And, and gotta be able to provide that environment. Jay Kopelman: So, but I would, I would love, like I said, I'd love to work myself out of a job here and see this happen, not just for our veterans, [00:55:00] but for everybody. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Um, so Melissa, is there a way people can get involved or follow PMC or how can they support your work at PMC? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, I mean, follow us in social media. Melissa Lavasani: Um, our two biggest platforms are LinkedIn and Instagram. Um, I'm bringing my newsletter back because I'm realizing, um, you know, there is a big gap in, in kind of like the knowledge of Washington DC just in general. What's happening here, and I think, you know, part of PC's value is that we're, we are plugged into conversations that are being had, um, here in the city. Melissa Lavasani: And, you know, we do get a little insight. Um, and I think that that would really quiet a lot of, you know, the, a lot of noise that, um, exists in the, our ecosystem. If, if people just had some clarity on like, what's actually happening or happening here and what are the opportunities and, [00:56:00] um, where do we need more reinforcement? Melissa Lavasani: Um, and, and also, you know, as we're putting together public education campaign, you know. My, like, if I could get everything I wanted like that, that campaign would be this like multi-stakeholder collaborative effort, right? Where we're covering all the ground that we need to cover. We're talking to the patient groups, we're talking to traditional mental health organizations, we're talking to the medical community, we're talking to the general population. Melissa Lavasani: I think that's like another area that we, we just seem to be, um, lacking some effort in. And, you know, ultimately the veteran story's always super compelling. It pulls on your heartstrings. These are our heroes, um, of our country. Like that, that is, that is meaningful. But a lot of the veteran population is small and we need the, like a, the just.[00:57:00] Melissa Lavasani: Basic American living in middle America, um, understanding what psychedelics are so that in, in, in presenting to them the stories that they can relate to, um, because that's how you activate the public and you activate the public and you get them to see what's happening in these clinical trials, what the data's been saying, what the opportunities are with psychedelics, and then they start calling their members of Congress and saying, Hey, there is this. Melissa Lavasani: Bill sitting in Congress and why haven't you signed onto it? And that political pressure, uh, when used the right way can be really powerful. So, um, I think, you know, now we're at this really amazing moment where we have a good amount of congressional offices that are familiar enough with psychedelics that they're willing to move on it. Melissa Lavasani: Um, there's another larger group, uh, that is familiar with psychedelics and will assist and co-sponsor legislation, but there's still so many offices that we haven't been able to get to just 'cause like we don't have all the time in the world and all the manpower in the world to [00:58:00] do it. But, you know, that is one avenue is like the advocates can speak to the, the lawmakers, the experts speak to the lawmakers, and we not, we want the public engaged in this, you know, ultimately, like that's. Melissa Lavasani: Like the best form of harm reduction is having an informed public. So we are not, they're not seeing these media headlines of like, oh, this miracle cure that, um, saved my family. It's like, yes, that can happen psychedelics. I mean, person speaking personally, psychedelics did save my family. But what you miss out of that story is the incredible amount of work I put into myself and put into my mental health to this day to maintain, um, like myself, my, my own agency and like be the parent that I wanna be and be the spouse that I wanna be. Melissa Lavasani: So, um, we, we need to continue to share these stories and we need to continue to collaborate to get this message out because we're all, we're all in the same boat right now. We all want the same things. We want patients to have safe and [00:59:00] affordable access to psychedelic assisted care. Um, and, uh. We're just in the beginning here, so, um, sign up for our newsletter and we can sign up on our website and then follow us on social media. Melissa Lavasani: And, um, I anticipate more and more events, um, happening with PMC and hopefully we can scale up some of these events to be much more public facing, um, as this issue grows. So, um, I'm really excited about the future and I'm, I've been enjoying this partnership with Mission Within. Jay is such a professional and, and it really shows up when he needs to show up and, um, I look forward to more of that in the future. Joe Moore: Fantastic. And Jay, how can people follow along and support mission within Foundation? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, again, social media is gonna be a good way to do that. So we, we are also pretty heavily engaged on LinkedIn and on Instagram. Um, I do [01:00:00] share, uh, a bit of my own stuff as well. On social media. So we have social media pages for Mission within Foundation, and we have a LinkedIn page for mission within foundation. Jay Kopelman: I have my own profiles on both of those as well where people can follow along. Um, one of the other things you know that would probably help get more attention for this is if the general public was more aware of the numbers of professional athletes who are also now pursuing. I began specifically to help treat their traumatic brain injuries and the chronic traumatic encephalopathy that they've, uh, suffered as a result of their time in professional sports or even college sports. Jay Kopelman: And, you know. I people worship these athletes, and I [01:01:00] think that if more of them, like Robert Gall, were more outspoken about these treatments and the healing properties that they've provided them, that it would get even more attention. Um, I think though what Melissa said, you know, I don't wanna parrot anything she just said because she said it perfectly Right. Jay Kopelman: And I'd just be speaking to hear myself talk. Um, but being collaborative the way that we are with PMC and with Melissa is I think, the way to move the needle on this overall. And like she said, if she could get more groups involved in, in these discussions, it would, it would do wonders for us. Joe Moore: Well, thank you both so much for your hard work out there. I always appreciate it when people are showing up and doing this important, [01:02:00] sometimes boring and tedious, but nevertheless sometimes, sometimes exciting work. And um, so yeah, just thank you both and thank you both for showing up here to psychedelics today to join us and I hope we can continue to support you all in the future. Jay Kopelman: Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. It's a pleasure being with you today and with Melissa, of course, always Melissa Lavasani: appreciate the time and space. Joe Moore: Thanks.  

    Word Balloon Comics Podcast
    The Day DC Got Canceled Paul Kupperberg Remembers the Implosion

    Word Balloon Comics Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 104:02 Transcription Available


    In 1978 there was Cancel Culture, Of a Different Kind. In this wide-ranging conversation, Paul Kupperberg kicks things off by revisiting the chaos and opportunity of DC's infamous Implosion, detailing how he helped salvage lost work through the two landmark volumes of Canceled Comic Cavalcade, a rare behind-the-curtain look at comics that almost vanished into history. From there, we dig into his run on Vigilante, where street-level justice met moral complexity, and his offbeat, character-driven take on Doom Patrol. Paul also shares sharp, funny stories from his time writing for Crazy Magazine and the gloriously absurd headlines of Weekly World News, revealing how satire sharpened his storytelling instincts. Along the way, he reflects on the industry's evolution, the hustle of staying versatile, and even teases a few new projects that prove he's still very much in the game.

    BMitch & Finlay
    Full Show 2/19/26: Olympic Fever!

    BMitch & Finlay

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 156:42


    A TON of Olympic hockey talk on today's show, including a visit from Steve Whyno! Plus: -Rapheal Davis talks Maryland and Big Ten hoops, and we wonder why the big locals are having bad years -Ben Standig talks Commanders offseason -The Seahawks are up for sale - is that prime time for Jeff Bezos? -Can the guys name every MLB's team's top projected player by WAR? -Does Jayden Daniels' ode to Philly fans mean anything? And is Philly now DC's biggest sports rival? -Bleep U Thursday!

    Sound & Vision
    Episode 516 / Hilary Harnischfeger

    Sound & Vision

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 73:02


    Episode 516 / Hilary HarnischfegerHilary Harnischfeger (b. 1972, Melbourne, Australia) earned her MFA from Columbia University, New York (2003) and her BFA from the University of Houston, Houston, TX (2001). The artist has had work included in institutional exhibitions at the Fairfield University Art Museum, Fairfield, CT (2023); Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS (2016); State University of New York at Purchase, Purchase, NY (2016); the FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY (2014); MOCA Cleveland, Cleveland, OH (2013); American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC (2013); the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY (2013); Dallas Contemporary, Dallas, TX (2010); Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX (2005); Artists Space, New York, NY (2005); and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, TX (2002); among others. Harnischfeger has had recent solo exhibitions at Clear Sky Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2021); Rachel Uffner Gallery, new York, NY (2021, 2015); Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton, NY (2014); and Front Gallery, Houston, TX (2012). In 2007, Harnischfeger was the recipient of the Maria Walsh Sharpe Foundation Space Program Award. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; the Nerman Museum, Overland Park, KS; the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; and the Fairfield University Art Museum, Fairfield, CT. Harnischfeger lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. 

    Grant and Danny
    Hour 3: Beltway Blitz, Bryce Harper Takes A Shot At DC

    Grant and Danny

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 41:06


    2.19.26 Hour 3 1:00- Commanders/NFL- Mike Jones, Wizards Joshua Robbins 16:30- Bryce Harper took a shot at DC in his latest attempt to prop up Philly.

    Grant and Danny
    Bryce Harper Takes A Shot At DC

    Grant and Danny

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 15:11


    Bryce Harper took a shot at DC in his latest attempt to prop up Philly.

    The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Touring Podcast
    Winter Break: Olympic Peninsula Part 2

    The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Touring Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 39:22


    In the second of a two-parter, it's Pedalshift Tour Journals: Vol. 9: Olympic Peninsula! Join me and my trusty Brompton for 4 days of transit-aided bicycle touring from Washington, DC to Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula and wrapping things up in Astoria, Oregon. This week features a more-challenging-than-expected short mileage day, a visit to Kurt Cobain's riverfront hangout, and a long bridge serving as a finish line. Originally podcast March 29, 2018.

    The Tara Show
    Black Vote Surge, DC Crime Drop & Epstein Fallout

    The Tara Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 11:08


    The media dusted off the “Trump is racist” playbook for Black History Month — but the numbers tell a different story. President Donald Trump continues gaining support among Black voters, including a historic 20% of Black male voters in recent elections — unheard of for a Republican. Meanwhile, a grieving D.C. grandmother went viral defending Trump's crime crackdown, crediting him with restoring safety after years of lawlessness in the nation's capital. At the same time, fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files intensifies overseas, with Prince Andrew arrested as scrutiny grows around elite networks — including renewed questions surrounding Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Is this a political realignment? An elite reckoning? Or both?

    The Tara Show
    H2: Black Vote Shift, DC Cleanup & Democrat Chaos

    The Tara Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 31:18


    The media dusts off the “Trump is racist” narrative every election cycle — but the numbers tell a different story. President Donald Trump continues gaining ground with Black voters, including a historic 20% of the Black male vote. And during a Black History Month event, a grieving D.C. grandmother went viral defending Trump's crime crackdown and blasting the press. Meanwhile: Violent crime in Washington, D.C. drops sharply after federal intervention Fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files intensifies, with Prince Andrew arrested and global elites scrambling A president in Peru is forced out over foreign dealings — while corruption questions linger in the U.S. Germany pushes sweeping censorship authority over elections South Carolina debates corporate incentives for Scout Motors despite record inbound growth Democrat-led sanctuary policies release violent offenders And Chuck Schumer introduces legislation elevating the Pride flag to federal symbol status From crime and corruption to immigration, censorship, and culture — today's episode pulls no punches.

    Nos Audietis
    Backpost Runners episode 1: Cleated Rivalries

    Nos Audietis

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 79:03


    Mark Kastner and Tim Ostlund-Foss kick off their new podcast Backpost Runners with a discussion of the adversaries and rivalries that make soccer special. The episode features a conversation with Hugo Award winner G. Willow Wilson about villains and why their important, as well as the Guardian's Jeff Reuter diving into MLS's best rivalries and how they shape the league.G. Willow Wilson can be found on Bluesky and her work on DC's Poison Ivy and Marvel's Black Cat can be found wherever comic books are sold. Jeff Reuter can be found on Bluesky and you can read his writing at the Guardian.You can follow Mark and Tim on Bluesky at @mkstnr.bsky.social and @timostlundfoss.bsky.social***Backpost Runners is a podcast for Sounder at Heart, which has been primarily listener supported since 2023. You can support us by becoming a paid subscriber, learn more here. You can also watch many of their shows on YouTube.Aside from becoming a Sounder at Heart subscriber, you can also support the show by using this link to purchase the Sounder at Heart physical magazine, IV or checking out our merch table to buy various shirt designs.“Surf Vibe” audio provided by Hunter Babcook; find them on Instagram.“Backpost Runners” art provided by Bradley Smith; find them on Instagram.

    Southern Sports Today
    CHUCK OLIVER SHOW HOUR 2

    Southern Sports Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 43:34


    Wes Mitchell of Gamecock Central looks at South Carolina's latest developments. Chuck and Heath discuss the surprising amount Texas is paying Will Muschamp to take over as DC. Auburn coach Alex Golesh discusses what it's been like since taking over the program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Inside Politics
    Former Prince Andrew Arrested for Misconduct 

    Inside Politics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 42:48


    Today's show begins with the arrest shocking the world as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was taken into custody this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office. It is an extraordinary downfall for the son of one monarch and the brother of the current monarch. He's the most prominent public figure to be held accountable for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, accountability yet to reach Washington, DC.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    City Cast DC
    Marty Baron On Bezos' Betrayal of the Washington Post

    City Cast DC

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 33:22


    Marty Baron spent almost a decade as Executive Editor of the Washington Post, which gave him a close-up view of Jeff Bezos' stewardship of one of our city's most important institutions during the first Trump term. And it's why Baron's emergence as one of the sharpest critics of Bezos' stewardship during the second Trump term has been such a big deal. In the wake of Bezos' decision to dismantle much of his old paper, Baron here to share his own thoughts.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this February 19th episode: South by Southwest - use code "citycast10" for a 10% discount on your Innovation Badge Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

    Nos Audietis
    Backpost Runners episode 1: Cleated Rivalries

    Nos Audietis

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 79:03


    Mark Kastner and Tim Ostlund-Foss kick off their new podcast Backpost Runners with a discussion of the adversaries and rivalries that make soccer special. The episode features a conversation with Hugo Award winner G. Willow Wilson about villains and why their important, as well as the Guardian's Jeff Reuter diving into MLS's best rivalries and how they shape the league.G. Willow Wilson can be found on Bluesky and her work on DC's Poison Ivy and Marvel's Black Cat can be found wherever comic books are sold. Jeff Reuter can be found on Bluesky and you can read his writing at the Guardian.You can follow Mark and Tim on Bluesky at @mkstnr.bsky.social and @timostlundfoss.bsky.social***Backpost Runners is a podcast for Sounder at Heart, which has been primarily listener supported since 2023. You can support us by becoming a paid subscriber, learn more here. You can also watch many of their shows on YouTube.Aside from becoming a Sounder at Heart subscriber, you can also support the show by using this link to purchase the Sounder at Heart physical magazine, IV or checking out our merch table to buy various shirt designs.“Surf Vibe” audio provided by Hunter Babcook; find them on Instagram.“Backpost Runners” art provided by Bradley Smith; find them on Instagram.

    Dr. Tom Curran Podcast
    February 18 -Drop the Mask! Insights on Ash Wednesday & Lent w/ Fr. Patrick Smith

    Dr. Tom Curran Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 54:04


    Dr. Tom Curran and Fr. Patrick Smith, Pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Church, Washington, DC, share insights on Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. Fr. Pat explores the second reading at Ash Wednesday Mass about what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2)

    The Earth 2 Podcast
    Crisis on Earth-S

    The Earth 2 Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 41:32


    After failing to wipe out humanity on Earth-2, King Kull shifts his attention to Earth-S. Can the combined forces of Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Bulletman, Bulletgirl. Mr Scarlet and Pinky foil Kull and his evil cohorts, Dr Light, the Shade, the Weeper and the Joker!?!?!!! Join David, Peter and an All-Star cast of guest voice artists as they cover this epic tale. Featuring legendary comic writer Elliot S! Maggin as the wizard, SHAZAM! It's our biggest epic to date!   You can find some of our contributors with the following links - Kenny “King Kull” Smith and various co-hosts cover all things Doctor Who at https://soundcloud.com/powerof3pod and also the Eighth Doctor specifically at  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctor-who---pieces-of-eighth/ Rich "Bulletman" Fullum covers Weird War Tales at https://weirdwarriorspodcast.podbean.com/ Megan "Bulletgirl" Nicole hosts the Vigilante Vibes Podcast here https://linktr.ee/vigilantevibespodcast Dr Husband and Dr Bobb “Mr Scarlet and Pinky” can be found acting out 60s DC comics at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/checkered-past/id1350233450 or https://open.spotify.com/show/5ho0BNnsbYG3rkdW9DfxSV?si=ab23815805224beb You can hear Peter guest star on Paul "Dr Light" Kien's DCSpecialCast here https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/dcsc13/ Vince "The Weeper" Hunt talks comics every week on https://awesomecomics.podbean.com/    You can check out Jim Beard's excellent publications on Comic Book History at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY8Y56Z3 If you're in the UK, then check out Charactervault Comics on Facebook where Ian "Laughing gas victim" Parr sells some fantastic comics at reasonable prices https://www.facebook.com/groups/279663760328478/   And finally, the official Elliot S! Maggin website is at https://elliot.maggin.com/ and you can find Elliot's latest book, LEXCORP, here http://bit.ly/3DfVL02 A huge thank you to all our guest voice artists.   Email us at theearth2podcast@gmail.com Facebook www.facebook.com/theearth2podcast Instagram www.instagram.com/theearth2podcast Twitter www.twitter.com/podcast_earth2 Leave us a Voicemail at www.speakpipe.com/theearth2podcast Find our Linktree at https://linktr.ee/theearth2podcast   #DCCOMICS #JLA #JSA #SHAZAM #ELLIOTSMAGGIN  #BATMAN #ROBIN #THEJOKER #JOKER #BULLETMAN #BULLETGIRL #HAWKMAN #HAWKGIRL #MRSCARLET #KINGKULL #THESHADE #DRLIGHT #ROCKOFETERNITY

    The Pacers Post Up
    Back from the Break: Pacers Return vs. Wizards B2B – Final Tanking Takes (Cuban & KP Weigh In)

    The Pacers Post Up

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 46:08


    In this “Return to Basketball” episode of The Pacers Post Up, Brad and Ryan gear up as the Indiana Pacers resume action with a back-to-back starting Thursday in DC against the Wizards—post-All-Star break edition! We give our final thoughts on the NBA tanking narrative: Mark Cuban's viral X manifesto defending/embracing tanking (with his Mavericks history), Kevin Pritchard quote-tweeting it and polling Pacers fans on their stance, plus Rick Carlisle's comments on the fine and his plan for working Ivica Zubac into the lineup. Pacers were back at practice this week—first injury report for the Wizards game drops Siakam out (personal reasons) and Zubac still sidelined (ankle sprain, no debut yet). We close out a jam-packed episode talking pure delusion with Kevin Durant's latest burner account drama. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Noticiero Univision
    Sobrevivientes de la noche: ayudan a los desamparados en NY

    Noticiero Univision

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 19:03


    Las autoridades dieron nuevos detalles en torno a la excursión que derivó en el reporte sobre la muerte de ocho esquiadores.Hombre y mujer sufren quemaduras en incidente doméstico.Mireya, la madre de Juan Nicolás, el bebé de 2 meses, enfermo de bronquitis aguda, dice que perdió todo.Educadores demandan a operativos de ICE cerca de planteles educativos.Varias ciudades y estados se han unido para frenar los operativos migratorios de la administración de Donald Trump.Alcaldesa de DC declara emergencia y pide ayuda federal por desastre ambiental en río Potomac.Mark Zuckerberg compareció en juicio histórico contra Meta.Los apple watch a menudo presentan errores sobre los datos de hipertensión.Nuevas pistas sobre búsqueda de Nancy Guthrie: Un posible anillo, armas y comunicación con México.El ejército espera orden de Trump para atacar Irán.El Papa León XIV alerta sobre un mundo "en llamas".Escucha de lunes a viernes el ‘Noticiero N+ Univision Edición Nocturna' con Paulina Sodi. 

    WAMU: Local News
    Compass Coffee shops are closing: Here's what happened

    WAMU: Local News

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 4:01


    12 years after opening its first location, Compass Coffee shops around the region are closing. Here's what led to the demise of the brand.

    The Anna-Ly-sis
    Tech roundup Feb. 19, 2026

    The Anna-Ly-sis

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 1:35


    Tech headlines from DC, Maryland and Virginia on Feb. 19, 2026

    Top News from WTOP
    Top News from WTOP - 7AM Update - February 19th, 2026

    Top News from WTOP

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 17:53


    The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: Police have arrested the former Prince Andrew.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

    Kenithia Alston v. DC

    Comics Exchange
    The 78th Exchange - Vertigo comics deep dive

    Comics Exchange

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 73:29


    Welcome back to Comics Exchange! Our 78th episode is a Vertigo comics deep dive with you guessed it, Hollywood Paul Lewis! That's not all as we talk news, the loss of Sal Buscema, books of the week, and have a heated debate regarding socks and....TV?

    The National Football Show with Dan Sileo
    Dan Sileo GOES OFF on Stoutland Loss, Fangio's Last Year & Micah Parsons to Eagles?!

    The National Football Show with Dan Sileo

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 73:18


    Jeff Stoutland leaving the Eagles is a franchise-altering loss that nobody is talking about enough. Dan Sileo breaks down the offensive line crisis, Vic Fangio's likely final season as DC, the Micah Parsons trade rumors, and the AJ Brown situation.Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    The Tony Kornheiser Show
    “A matter of principle”

    The Tony Kornheiser Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 64:22


    Tony opens the show by talking about the relatively slow thaw that DC is experiencing right now, and he also talks about some trouble he's been having with his mail. Jay Bilas calls in to talk about some big games in college basketball this weekend, and also about Kansas State firing Jerome Tang, Buster Olney calls in to talk about Tony Clark's shocking resignation as head of baseball's player union, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag.Songs : Lunde “Gone Way Too Long” ; “The Dinosau Song” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The Ann & Phelim Scoop
    Ireland, Israel, and Liberal Ideology in the Arts

    The Ann & Phelim Scoop

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 25:06


    This week's scoop is going to be short and sweet, like our assistant! First off, from Tea and StickybunsGate, to IsraelGate. Yes you heard that right. You'll have to watch this week's show where Phelim explains how the Troubles in Northern Ireland, police officers drinking tea, Irish Soccer and Israel,are connected. And it all started in 1995. And the stickybuns?… Well, they are a delicious mystery to unwrap during the show. And speaking of Ireland being the most anti-Semitic country in Europe, there is still a need for our verbatim play, OCTOBER 7. Just a few weeks ago it was performed at the Trump Kennedy Center to critical acclaim.As The Federalist said: "OCTOBER 7 offered something rare: moral clarity without instruction, faith without propaganda, and testimony without shame.”Watch this week's episode where we bring you the full story of bringing the truth to DC. We need your help to keep the play touring, please go to the link below and donate so that we can keep bringing the play and our special projects to you!And the media have not failed to disappoint by covering for the trans shooter in Canada, who killed his family and several of his peers last week. Then they compounded the insult for covering for the trans Rhode Island shooter who also killed members of his family. We expose the history of violence by transgenders that the media try to coverup by twisting and mutilating the English language. How far back do we go? We'll give you a hint: Norman, your mother's calling. And Ann shows you the real reason why the left has had so much control over the media. Watch this week's show where we actually follow the money.And please like and subscribe wherever you get our content. We can't read your mind but we can read your comments which we love. And we may even show some of them on the air!OCTOBER 7 the play was a huge success at the Trump Kennedy Center! If you missed out on seeing it don't lose hope. We want to keep touring the play, but we need your help. We have a generous donor who is currently matching any donation you make, please go to the link below to donate. We are a 501(c)(3) so your donation will be tax-deductible. And if you finish this week's episode and feel like you want more, please subscribe to our Stories.io substack(linked below) where you can get the news and views beyond our weekly show. To subscribe to our Stories.io substack please use the link: https://phelimmcaleer.substack.com*****************************************************To Donate: https://secure.anedot.com/unreported-story-society/cf0cdeea5333b147798ffProjects You Need to Check Out: https://unreportedstorysociety.com/our-projects/Ann & Phelim SocialsPhelim's X: (https://x.com/PhelimMcAleer)Ann's X: (https://x.com/annmcelhinney)USS SocialsInsta: (https://www.instagram.com/unreportedstorysociety/)Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/TheAPScoop/)X: (https://x.com/AP_Unreported)

    The Courtesy Flush | Arman Zaidi
    Actors in Both Marvel & DC

    The Courtesy Flush | Arman Zaidi

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 6:03


    *Actors in Both Marvel and DC Movies* @marvel @dcofficial I noticed there were a lot of actors that are in both Marvel and DC movies especially after watching Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.So I decided to compile them and give my opinion on which role was better.0:00 - Intro0:03 - Henry Cavill: Superman & Wolverine0:16 - Ben Affleck: Batman & Daredevil0:30 - JK Simmons: Commissioner Gordon & J. Jonah Jameson0:48 - Ryan Reynolds: Green Lantern & Deadpool1:02 - Willem Dafoe: Vulko & Green Goblin1:16 - Christian Bale: Batman & Gorr1:27 - Tom Hardy: Bane & Venom1:38 - Halle Barry: Catwoman & Storm1:50 - Michael Keaton: Batman & Vulture2:05 - Nicholas Hoult: Lex Luthor & Beast2:18 - Chris Evans: Jensen & Captain America / Human Torch2:32 - Idris Elba: Bloodsport & Heimdall2:43 - David Harbour: Dexter & Red Guardian2:56 - Tommy Lee Jones: Two Face & Colonel Philips3:11 - Nicholas Cage: Superman & Ghost Rider3:22 - James Marsden: Richard White & Cyclops3:35 - Angela Basset: Amanda Waller & Queen Ramonda3:46 - Zachary Levi: Shazam & Fandral3:47 - Laurence Fishburne: Perry White & Dr. Foster4:07 - Russell Crowe: Jor-El & Zeus4:19 - Isabella Merced: Hawkgirl & Anya Corazon4:31 - Edi Gathegi: Mr. Terrific & Darwin4:43 - Daniela Melchior: Ratcatcher & Ura4:53 - Andy Serkis: Alfred & Klaw5:10 - Pedro Pascal: Max Lord & Mr. Fantastic5:31 - Jared Leto: Joker & Morbius5:47 - Outro6:00 - Say That Again?BONUS: Barry Keoghan as Joker & DruigActors in Both DC and Marvelhttps://youtube.com/shorts/0aSokb88ktEhttps://youtube.com/shorts/XOMWiVaUf2Yhttps://youtube.com/shorts/P2X4Hiye0H8https://youtube.com/shorts/pBt9_MvA82Ihttps://youtube.com/shorts/MHRhd-CzpiQhttps://youtu.be/RzgwTqx9PVw#Marvel #DC #ArmanZaidi ____________________________________________https://www.patreon.com/armanzaidi*connect with me*https://instagram.com/armanzdihttps://twitter.com/armanzdihttps://www.tiktok.com/@armanzdi

    marvel dc superman joker actors terrific dc movies marvel dc jared leto joker michael keaton batman ben affleck batman henry cavill superman christian bale batman ryan reynolds green lantern storm1
    BMitch & Finlay
    Hour 1 - Which WR would you rather have in DC? Alec Pierce, Brandon Aiyuk or Tyreek Hill?

    BMitch & Finlay

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 38:12


    Hour 1 - MLBPA president Tony Clark caught in a scandal with his sister-in-law - Which WR would you rather have in DC? Alec Pierce, Brandon Aiyuk or Tyreek Hill? - Listeners call in to debate which WR the Commanders should be looking at

    DH Unplugged
    DHUnplugged #791: AI Overload

    DH Unplugged

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 70:35


    Self Created Valuation Boosts Apple Announces new Podcast push AI – A breakdown Playing them like a fiddle – Warner Brothers PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - A NEW CTP just announced - China releasing new AI models - AI - A breakdown - we are on overload - Big Employment news.... Markets - Self Created Valuation Boosts - Apple Announces new Podcast push - Playing them like a fiddle - Warner Brothers Quick Note - Going to rip up the playbook on something this week on TDI Podcast. Anyone who owns an annuity should listen to what is about to come on next Sundays show.....  No Agenda... Olympics - Anything to discuss? MONEY FOR ALL - The average tax refund is 10.9% higher so far this season, compared to about the same point in 2025, according to early filing data from the IRS. - The 2026 tax season opened Jan. 26, and the average refund amount was $2,290 as of Feb. 6, up from $2,065 about one year prior, the IRS reported Friday night. - As of Feb. 6, the total amount refunded was more than $16.9 billion, up 1.9% compared to last year, according to the IRS release. That figure reflects current-year returns only. - This is partly because there were excess-witholdings from last year on the rules changed and paycheck withholdings were not adjusted. This is a one time situation.. Emplyment - 4.3% - "Better" than expected payrolls number - A major revision was released last Wednesday. Overall 2025 job growth was much weaker than initially reported. The total net change for the full year 2025 was revised down from +584,000 jobs to just +181,000 jobs (seasonally adjusted) — an average of only about 15,000 jobs added per month instead of ~49,000. This made 2025 one of the weakest years for job creation in recent non-recession periods. - Employment levels were consistently overstated throughout 2025 by roughly 800,000 to over 1 million jobs, peaking around mid-year. For example: By March 2025, the level was revised down by 898,000. By December 2025 (preliminary), down by 1,029,000. - Monthly changes were also adjusted downward in most cases (e.g., August's originally reported -26,000 became a larger loss of -70,000; September's +108,000 became +76,000). - The revisions reflect normal annual benchmarking, but this one was unusually large (larger than the typical 0.2% average over the prior decade), likely due to factors like overestimation of business births or other data mismatches. - In short, the data reveals that the U.S. labor market in 2025 was significantly softer than the monthly headlines suggested at the time — job growth was overstated by a substantial margin, painting a picture of a much weaker employment picture for the year. AI Updates - While U.S. markets have been focused on the impact of Anthropic and Altruist's tools on software and financial services, China's tech giants have released AI models this week that have shown advancements in robotics and video generation. - Google is reporting that China's AI models are just MONTHS behind western models - However - is this progress? In a video demo, Alibaba showed a robot with pincers for hands that appeared to be able to count oranges, pick them up and place them in a basket. It was also shown taking milk out of a fridge. - Alibaba on Monday unveiled a new artificial intelligence model Qwen 3.5 designed to execute complex tasks independently, with big improvements in performance and cost that the Chinese tech giant claims beat major U.S. rival models on several benchmarks. - Zhipu AI — which trades as Knowledge Atlas Technology in Hong Kong said the model approaches Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5 in coding benchmarks while surpassing Google's Gemini 3 Pro on some tests. - Shares of MiniMax also jumped Thursday after it launched its updated M2.5 open-source model with enhanced AI agent tools. Grok Update - Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, has been gaining ground in the U.S. over the past months, data showed, even as it draws global censure and regulatory scrutiny after being used to generate a wave of non-consensual sexualized images of women and minors. - U.S. market share of the tool rose to 17.8% last month from 14% in December, and 1.9% in January 2025, according to data from research firm Apptopia. - Men are still the largest % users of Grok ~ 78% (down from 89% in April 2025) AI Market Share - ChatGPT's share slumped to 52.9% last month from 80.9% in January last year, while Gemini's grew to 29.4% from 17.3% over the same period. AI Market Share InfoGrapic and AI Understanding - Have we gone through this? - At its core, AI is technology that lets machines perform tasks that normally require human intelligence — things like understanding language, recognizing images, making decisions, or solving problems. - Modern AI (especially since ~2022) is dominated by machine learning — systems that learn patterns from huge amounts of data instead of being explicitly programmed rule-by-rule. - Inference is the "using" or "applying" phase of AI — when a trained model takes new input and produces an output / prediction / answer. Contrast with training (the "learning" phase): ------ Training ? Like a student studying for years: very compute-heavy, expensive, done once (or rarely) on massive servers/GPUs, adjusts billions of parameters based on examples. ------ Inference ? Like the student taking a test or doing their job: much faster, cheaper, runs on your phone/laptop/cloud, uses the fixed knowledge from training to respond instantly. - gentic AI takes regular AI (like chat models) to the next level: instead of just answering questions or generating text, these systems act autonomously to achieve goals with minimal human help. "Agentic" comes from "agency" — the ability to make decisions, plan, use tools, take actions, adapt, and even learn from results — like a smart digital employee rather than just a smart answer machine. AI Infographic Last AI Item - A shortage of memory chips is hammering profits, derailing corporate plans, and inflating price tags on various products, with the crunch expected to get worse. - The fundamental reason for the squeeze is the buildout of AI data centers, with companies like Alphabet and OpenAI buying up large shares of memory chip production, leaving consumer electronics producers fighting over a dwindling supply. - The resulting price spikes are causing concern, with some warning of "RAMmageddon" and others predicting that memory chip prices will go "parabolic", bringing lavish profits to some companies but painful prices to the rest of the electronics sector. Here is something: - Gallup will no longer track presidential approval ratings after nearly 90 years - Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the Washington, DC-based management company began tracking the president's job performance 88 years ago. - Gallup told USA TODAY it will no longer publish "favorability ratings of political figures," a decision it said "reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership." - Gallup said the ratings are now "widely produced, aggregated and interpreted, and no longer represent an area where Gallup can make its most distinctive contribution." - "Our commitment is to long-term, methodologically sound research on issues and conditions that shape people's lives," the company wrote, adding that its work will continue through the Gallup Poll Social Series, the Gallup Quarterly Business Review, the World Poll and more. - Seems like they are unable to SHAPE opinion due to social media etc.....? Apple Podcast Update - Big news! - Apple on Monday announced that it will bring a new integrated video podcast experience to Apple Podcasts this spring. - The move comes as video viewership continues to reshape podcasting. About 37% of people over age 12 watch video podcasts monthly, according to Edison Research. - The update brings Apple Podcasts more in-line with its competitors Spotify, YouTube and now Netflix, which have increasingly leaned into video podcasting. -“Twenty years ago, Apple helped take podcasting mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app,” said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services, in a statement. “ - By bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we're putting creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses, while making it easier than ever for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts.” M&A - Texas Instruments Inc. has reached an agreement to buy Silicon Laboratories Inc. for about $7.5 billion, deepening its exposure to several markets for chips. - Silicon Labs investors will receive $231 in cash for each share of the company's common stock and the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027. - The transaction still needs to win approval by investors in Silicon Labs and shares of Silicon Labs surged by 51% to $206.48 after the announcement. Inflation - This helps - PepsiCo, will cut prices on core brands such as Lay's and Doritos by up to 15% following a consumer backlash against several previous price hikes, the snacks and beverage maker said on Tuesday after it topped fourth-quarter results. Miran - Moving - Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran is leaving his post as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, CNBC has confirmed. - He joined the CEA in January 2025, but had been on leave from that post since last September when he filled the unexpired term of former Fed Governor Adriana Kugler.- He reamins on Fed board No Biggie???? - There are some astonishing cased being reported of Bad AI in the operating room - JNJ's TruDi Navigation System - Since AI was added to the device, the FDA has received unconfirmed reports of at least 100 malfunctions and adverse events. - At least 10 people were injured between late 2021 and November 2025, according to the reports. Most allegedly involved errors in which the TruDi Navigation System misinformed surgeons about the location of their instruments while they were using them inside patients' heads during operations. - Cerebrospinal fluid reportedly leaked from one patient's nose. In another reported case, a surgeon mistakenly punctured the base of a patient's skull. In two other cases, patients each allegedly suffered strokes after a major artery was accidentally injured. Cuba - The main airport has putt out a bulletin that they are out of Jet Fuel - Blackouts and lack of other fuels are creating big problems - No airlines have stopped running at this point, but many will as they cannot refuel - This is a bigger problem for cargo planes (supplies) that may not be able to risk flying to Cuba as they will not be able to get out. Dalio Warning -  Legendary investor Ray Dalio said on Tuesday the world was “on the brink” of a capital war. - He said central banks and sovereign wealth funds were already preparing for measures like foreign exchange and capital controls. - "When money is weaponized using measures like trade embargoes, blocking access to capital markets, or using ownership of debt as leverage." - “Capital, money, matters,” Dalio said Tuesday. “We're seeing capital controls … taking place all over the world today, and who will experience that is questionable. So, we are on the brink — that doesn't mean we are in [a capital war now], but it means that it's a logical concern.” - Could this be why gold and siver are being hoarded (physical assets over digital currency? - Is China's edict to banks to diversify away from US Treasuries a sign? Self Boosted Valuation - Waymo is aiming to raise about $16 billion in a financing-round that would value it at nearly $110 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. - Alphabet would provide about $13 billion to the autonomous driving firm while the rest would come from investors including Sequoia Capital, DST Global and Dragoneer Investment Group, the report added. - Soooooo - Waymo is a unit of Alphabet.... Alphabet providing 80% of the funding that boosts valuations..... Hmmmmmmmm Warner Brothers -  Warner Bros Discovery Inc is considering reopening sale talks with Paramount Skydance Corp after receiving its amended offer. - The Warner Bros board is discussing whether Paramount could offer a path to a superior deal, which may ignite a second bidding war with Netflix Inc. - Paramount submitted amended terms that addressed several concerns, including covering a fee owed to Netflix and offering to backstop a Warner Bros debt refinancing. Economics Coming Up - Short Week - plenty of Reports - Wednesday - Durable Goods, Housing Starts, Industrial Production, FOMC Minutes - Thursday - Philly Fed, Initial Claims - Friday: PCE, Personal Income and Spending, GDP for Q4 (3.6%) ----- New Home Sales, UMich Feb Final   Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? ANNOUNCING THE THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for CATERPILLAR Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt!     FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS   See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter

    Full Disclosure with James O'Brien
    Introducing: Up To Speed - Up To Speed

    Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 1:50


    James O'Brien listeners, we've got a new podcast we think you'll love.Step inside sport's greatest soap opera, Formula One, with a brand-new podcast Up To Speed. Hosted by Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, racing driver-turned-broadcaster Naomi Schiff, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, and F1 content creator Jolie Sharpe.Expect razor-sharp reaction, behind-the-scenes insight, blockbuster interviews and answers to the questions you've always wanted to ask! With their deep knowledge, expert analysis and infectious love for racing, Will, Naomi, DC & Jolie dive into the stories that matter - on and off the track.It's fast-paced, unfiltered and full of the gossip that keeps the paddock buzzing.They'll react to the weekend's race drama every Monday. On Thursday they'll deep dive into the biggest stories of the week. Watch and listen to episode 1 now on Global Player, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

    C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today
    Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and presidential candidate, dies at age 84

    C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 58:51


    A man with a shotgun is arrested as he runs towards the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC; Tributes to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr., civil rights movement pioneer and presidential candidate, who has died at the age of 84. We will hear from his son, Jesse Jackson, Jr. and a protégé, Rev. Al Sharpton, and talk with Washington Post Chief Political Correspondent Karen Tumulty, who reported on Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential run (13); Homeland Security Department shutdown is on Day Four, and no signs it will come to an end soon, with the White House and Congressional Democrats trading offers on immigration enforcement reforms, but not reaching an agreement; latest round of U.S.-Iran talks over Iran's nuclear program conclude in Geneva. Both sides speak of progress and agree to "guiding principles" for an eventual deal; Commodities Futures Trading Commission says the agency will fight state regulation of prediction markets. We will hear from the CFTC Chair and talk about the stakes with Axios Business Reporter Nathan Bomey (41); former Sec of State Hillary Clinton accuses the Trump Administration of a cover-up when it comes the files of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; politicians celebrate Mardi Gras & Lunar New Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Glass Box Podcast
    Ep 196 — Jesse Owens | 42: Jackie Robinson

    Glass Box Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 158:12


    It's February and that means it is Black History Month. And since we are in the middle of the 2026 Winter Olympics, we are going to talk about one of THE most famous African-American Olympic athletes of all time, Jesse Owens. We then discuss the movie 42, the story of Jackie Robinson's first year in the white baseball league in 1947. After that, we'll round out the episode with happy news about a peace march from Texas to DC. Happy Black History month!    Next Live Show: Monday February 23, 6:00 PM (MT) We will talk about the newest apostle. We look forward to seeing you!    Show Notes:  Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics, By Jeremy Schaap American Legends: The Life of Jesse Owens, by Charles Rivers Editors Jesse Owens: A Life in American History (Black History Lives), by F. Erik Brooks and Kevin M. Jones Sr. Jesse Owens official website: https://jesseowens.com/  Biography on Olympics website; https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/jesse-owens  Black U.S. Olympians won in Nazi Germany only to be overlooked at home: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2016/08/13/489773389/black-u-s-olympians-won-in-nazi-germany-only-to-be-overlooked-at-home  Race and Sports_ Exposing the hypocrisy of the 1936 Olympics: https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/education/educator-resources/teaching-guides/exposing-the-hypocrisy-of-the-1936-berlin-olympics/  Obama Rights Historic Racial Wrong for Olympic Heroes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji-9PimDLRQ&t=142s  Documentary about the other 17 black athletes, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5068938/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_olympic%2520pride%2520  Where it's streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/olympic-pride-american-prejudice  American Experience: Jesse Owens (2012 Documentary): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2122879/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_cdt_epp_sm_1  Where it's streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jesse-owens   1968 Olympics Black Power Salute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute    MOGP:  42: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/?ref_=fn_t_1  Where it's streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/42-the-jackie-robinson-story    Happy News:  https://gleam.news/stories/monks-complete-2-300-mile-walk-for-peace-to-washington   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. Our most recent discussion was on The Unpaid Army of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de543-d9tME  He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look!  Here is the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpGuS7GcsgA&list=PLGrPM1Pg2h72ADIuv8eYmzrJ-ppLOlw_g   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Patreon page for documentary: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions BlueSky: @glassboxpodcast.bsky.social  Other BlueSky: @bryceblankenagel.bsky.social and @shannongrover.bsky.social  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on "Store" here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com  Venmo: @Shannon-Grover-10  

    Mapping The College Audition: An MTCA Podcast
    Anne Josephson, 3-Time MTCA Alumni Parent on Embracing Your Child's Individuality

    Mapping The College Audition: An MTCA Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 69:24


    In this Artist Episode 3-Time MTCA Alumni Parent Anne Josephson and MTCA Director Charlie Murphy discuss:

    Verdict with Ted Cruz
    Dem Presidential Candidates Crash & Burn on Foreign Policy, plus Obama goes on the Attack

    Verdict with Ted Cruz

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2026 36:42 Transcription Available


    1. Democratic Candidates Struggle on Foreign Policy At the Munich Security Conference, AOC, Gretchen Whitmer, and Gavin Newsom are portrayed as unprepared on major foreign‑policy questions. AOC gives vague and confused answers regarding whether the U.S. should defend Taiwan against China. Whitmer appears unsure when asked what “victory” in Ukraine looks like, deflecting the question to an ambassador. Commentary suggests this reflects a broader weakness in foreign‑policy understanding among potential 2028 Democratic contenders. 2. Criticism of Far‑Left Ideology The intellectual foundation of the far left is hollow compared to past decades. They claim AOC’s comments reflect ideological simplicity, reliance on identity politics, and lack of deep geopolitical knowledge. Suggestion that cultural Marxism and DEI-style frameworks have replaced rigorous foreign‑policy thought. 3. AOC’s Israel Comments AOC is criticized for saying U.S. aid to Israel should be conditioned and alleging Israel committed “genocide” in Gaza. The hosts argue her position is ideologically driven and historically insensitive, especially when stated in Germany. They also claim Hamas statements contradict the genocide narrative. 4. Predictions About 2028 Politics: AOC will likely run for president. Chuck Schumer may encourage her to do so to avoid competing with her for Senate. If AOC runs, Mondaire Jones / Mondami (context suggests a progressive challenger) could run for Schumer’s Senate seat. 5. Obama’s Recent Commentary Barack Obama is criticized for: Calling certain ICE actions “rogue behavior.” Comparing Republican messaging to demagoguery while presenting Democrats as unifying. Hosts claim Obama is historically partisan and argue many current Democratic positions stem from his ideological influence. 6. Claims That Democrats Are Anti‑Law‑Enforcement Gavin Newsom is accused of comparing American law enforcement to “secret police.” The hosts argue Democrats are reviving rhetoric similar to segregation‑era resistance to federal authority. 7. U.S. Foreign Policy Under Obama and Biden Allegations that Obama and Biden’s foreign policy empowered Iran and weakened global deterrence. Claim that U.S. ambiguity over Taiwan is mishandled by the left. 8. Potomac River Sewage Issue Over 1 billion gallons of wastewater spilled into the Potomac. Washington, DC officials say repairs will take up to nine months, criticized as incompetence in government management. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.