Podcast appearances and mentions of Ed Markey

Tonight on The Last Word: The cost of living it a top issue for voters amid rising prices. Also, Democrats prepare for possible legal action on Trump's election attacks. Plus, David Crowley makes the cost of living central to his gubernatorial campaign in Wisconsin. And seven House Republicans vote against Trump's Iran war. Sen. Ed Markey, Garrett Epps, David Crowley, and Iowa State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott join Lawrence O'Donnell. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AOC has accused Robert Kraft of censoring Macklemore and says she will boycott Ed Sheeran... how will he recover from this?!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The crew dives into a genuinely wild story about a green card holder who worked his way into a Customs and Border Protection job at a major crossing, only to get arrested for allegedly swapping out government hardware for compromised parts. That kicks off a broader, sometimes contentious debate about immigration enforcement, detention camps, and a recent court decision limiting how long ICE can hold detainees without a warrant. On the lighter side, there's a genuinely funny catch: a Massachusetts senate campaign ad that appears to lift its closing line almost word for word from a Scorsese movie, seemingly without anyone on the campaign noticing. The back half turns to courtroom drama with reactions to the Lindsay Clancy verdict and some pointed questions about jury composition. Sponsor breaks, tangents, and the usual banter round things out.

Att. Kevin Reddington went on Good Moring America for an interview, where he asked the President to pardon Lindsay. Then, Howie discusses how it seems that the "Ice Cream man" Ed Markey is ducking his opponent John Deaton. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ralph welcomes sportswriter Dave Zirin to talk about his new book, "The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn." Then Ralph speaks to labor activist Gene Bruskin about their upcoming Labor Day event at Busboys and Poets in DC, "Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact."Dave Zirin is the sports editor for The Nation, a columnist for the Progressive, and the author of eight books on the politics of sports, including What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States and A People's History of Sports in the United States. His new book is The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn.There's a despondency that exists now, I believe, among people who are also very angry about the state of our politics. And the thing that Howard always insisted upon—he was an activist who happened to be a historian, not a historian who was an activist. And that doesn't denigrate his incredible skills as a historian, it just says where his priorities were in his time on this planet. And one of the things that Howard believed so strongly is that the movements themselves needed to have a strong sense of history. The movements needed to know that we live in a time of great ups and downs.Dave ZirinPeople did step up to create the Zinn Education Project. And every book event I'm doing, I'm showing up with copies of their materials and they usually have somebody on the ground doing the organizing at the event. And at the very least, we're helping it be a little bit sticky. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not just a book event. It's not just celebrating Howard. But it's also something that allows us to be able to make it matter in a way that it otherwise would not—because it's not just about selling books, it really is about building a movement.Dave ZirinGene Bruskin is a veteran of the labor movement as a local union president, an organizer, and campaign coordinator for numerous local and national unions. He has done extensive international labor solidarity work, including with Iraqi workers and unions, and is a founder of US Labor Against the War.What we're breaking through here now (and partly this has been the definition of this resistance movement) it's workers versus billionaires. And I think the labor movement in general coming out of World War II has been captured by this mythology that “What's good for General Electric is good for the nation.” And the more the economy “prospers,” the more it's good for everybody. And it turns out that that's not really the case, because we don't have that kind of equality. And also what's in the national interest in terms of our foreign policy is not in the interest of the average working class person. A lot of that stuff is being challenged and reversed—not enough, but it's forcing some of the more moderate forces to the left, just as we're seeing in some of these Senate and House elections.Gene BruskinI think this is a really important moment for Labor Day because Labor Day, among other things, is generally the kickoff for whatever elections are happening in November. And it's going to be that on steroids this year. But I think the important thing is that, of course, we want to throw out a bunch of these Neanderthal Republicans in the House and Senate. But it's not just a matter of restoring a Democratic majority in the House and Senate. The question is: to what end? And what is on the agenda of a Democratic-majority Congress at this minute? What is the vision that we have for our future that we have to be fighting for? … We have to change this whole climate so that people have some kind of hope, some kind of vision for what we want and what we deserve. And the same old, same old, whether it's a Democratic Congress or not, is not acceptable anymore.Gene BruskinGalvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact (Sep 7, 2026 2:00 pm ET): Busboys and Poets and Ralph Nader present Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact, a discussion of how unions can maximize the impact of Labor Day to mobilize workers and voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and afterwards. (Event is in-person @ Busboys and Poets 14th & V + Livestreamed. Free and open to all, but registration is required.)News 9/4/26* Our top story this week is the neo-colonial oil extraction deal that has been struck between the Trump administration and the government of Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela. This government has been running the country under the barrel of a gun since Trump sent Delta Force to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro from his home in the Bolivarian Republic in January. According to the BBC, the new deal “grants a US-led company 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields in Venezuela, amounting to a staggering 65 billion barrels of crude,” or over one-fifth of the country's proven oil reserves. The White House has released a fact sheet, stating that much of the new extraction will be conducted by North American Blue Energy Partners (Nabep), and that the U.S. government will have “veto power over the appointment of any member of the board of directors, and a majority of Nabep's board of directors must be US citizens.” The announcement of this deal drew scorn from a wide variety of sources. These range from Trump's former special representative on Venezuela and Iran, Elliott Abrams who called the deal “terrible” and sees it as Rodríguez “simply complying with the demands she's getting from Washington,” to Rafael Ramírez, who served as the head of the state-run energy firm, PDVSA, and as the oil minister under former President Hugo Chávez, who is quoted saying the deal “hands over [the oil] and opens the doors to a new colonialism of the United States.”* In more outrageous foreign policy news, Reuters reports the Trump administration has designated the United Kingdom-based pro-Palestine activist group Palestine Action a ”terrorist organization,” part of the administration's “campaign to crack down on left-wing groups” using post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws. The United Nations has decried this move, with the UN's human rights office chief Volker Turk calling it a “disproportionate and unnecessary ⁠restriction on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as well as the right ​to participate in public affairs,” adding that the “expansive use ​of the term ‘terrorism' has been documented to have a chilling effect on civic space.” The UK has sought to bring the legal hammer down on Palestine Action, though these efforts have been somewhat stymied by the courts. Sarah McLaughlin, senior scholar of global expression at free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Free Expression (FIRE), ​said that the US “must reject that censorship - not import it.” Reuters notes that “Israel's foreign ministry welcomed the designation.”* This is not the only case wherein the Trump administration has gone to extreme lengths to punish pro-Palestine activism. California District Judge Noel Wise highlighted this in her recent decision, excoriating the State Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their attempts to deport noncitizens over protected speech. This ruling, stemming from a lawsuit filed by FIRE, “centred on how the second Trump administration revoked visas and detained international students studying in the US after they engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.” Judge Wise stated in her decision that “in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people..It is not the government's to take.” She added that the strength of our democracy is “diminished when members of our society — citizens and noncitizens alike — must self-censor and ‘behave' or suffer the government's retaliation.” Mahmoud Khalil, the most prominent victim of the administration's policy of seeking to deport activists they want to silence, applauded the decision, saying “No one should fear speaking up for Palestine.” This from Al Jazeera.* Our final Palestine-related story for this week takes us to Hollywood, where prominent actor and activist Mark Ruffalo's recent comments in opposition to the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. merger, related to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison's ties to his father's software company Oracle, have been cynically branded as “antisemitic tropes.” According to the LA Times, Ruffalo shared a clip of Safra Catz, Oracle's former CEO and a current Paramount board member speaking at an Israeli-American Council National Summit conference, where she said that “she couldn't discuss Oracle's work with Israel's military, but ‘we have some profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available' to Israel,” after October 7th. Paramount's lawyers quickly sought to smear Ruffalo with the charge of antisemitism, including by deploying their allies in pro-Israel groups like the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League. In response, over 150 Jewish filmmakers, academics, writers and even rabbis, signed an open letter which reads, in part, “Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism. It is, for us, the very essence of Jewish ethical duty.”* In other news, NBC reports the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that “federal commodities-trading law does not preempt Nevada's gambling law as to the regulation of placing wagers on sports.” This piece notes that the 3-0 ruling marks the prediction markets industry's most significant legal setback yet and sets up a showdown at the Supreme Court, since the Third Circuit has already ruled that New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi. The Trump administration has sought to keep regulation of betting markets under the jurisdiction of the federal body known as the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Notably, the commission, usually composed of five appointees, currently boasts only one single member: Michael S. Selig. Selig is extremely friendly to the prediction market industry and has sought to stave off state-level regulation by arguing for federal preemption.* Kalshi has been in the news for other reasons as well, namely for its attempts to self-regulate. For one, the Wall Street Journal reports that Kalshi issued its first ever lifetime ban this week, to none other than former Congressman and notorious grifter George Santos. This ban was precipitated by Santos' making over $17,000 by “placing bets on his attendance at President Trump's State of the Union address.” Kalshi adds that they issued a $71,356 fine to Santos. For his part, Santos tweeted “Hey @Kalshi thanks for the lifetime ban from your gambling platform…Let's see how much longer you guys are around for.” Newsweek reports that at the same time, Kalshi fined and suspended North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout for betting on her own race. Buckhout dismissed her bet as a “dumb mistake” and joked that her “career as a Kalshi trader was short-lived.” Buckhout is running against incumbent Congressman Don Davis in a newly-redrawn district engineered to favor Republicans, but polling shows a tight race. If Buckhout narrowly loses, many will point to this “dumb mistake” as a key reason why.* Another legal battle is unfolding in New York City, where landlords are challenging Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants. PIX11 reports that the suit, originally filed in Staten Island but now moved to Manhattan, centers on complaints from landlords that the decision by the rent guidelines board (RGB) to keep rents flat on one and two-year lease renewals for NYC's million rent-stabilized apartments was “predetermined and illegal.” They argue that the board “cherry-picked data and was packed with supporters of Mayor…Mamdani's campaign promise to freeze rents,” while the Mamdani administration maintains that the board is an “independent body and considers both tenant and landlord concerns.” The mayoral administration will defend the decision in court, while the Legal Aid Society and Legal Services NYC have filed a request for the court to dismiss the suit entirely. An article in POLITICO from earlier this month reports that the plaintiffs in this suit hope to bring this case all the way to the US Supreme Court.* Our final stories this week take us back to the campaign trail. First up, Alaska Public Media is out with a report about a “chain of political maneuvers in the governor's race,” kicked off by former Anchorage mayor Tom Begich's “decision to step down to give fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins a better shot at winning.” Kreiss-Tomkins finished first in the August primary, followed by Begich in second place and two Republicans in third and fourth respectively. Under Alaska election law, the top four finishers advance to the general election. This piece recounts how Begich's withdrawal sent shockwaves through the Republican candidate field. With Begich out, “Republican Treg Taylor moved into the fourth spot. But on Sunday, Taylor called for [fellow Republicans Bernadette] Wilson and [Dave] Bronson to consolidate their campaigns and pledged to endorse a combined Republican ticket. In a statement, Taylor urged Republicans to unite behind a single candidate, to counter Kreiss-Tompkins.” While fascinating for political junkies, many have observed that the maneuvers on display here and in Alaska's Senate race seem to undercut many of the arguments in favor of ranked-choice voting, with more effort being put into confusing voters or seeking to induce so-called “ballot exhaustion” rather than facilitating a more enlightened civil discourse.* Our final two stories cover the Massachusetts primaries held this Tuesday. The topline, as Semafor reports, is that incumbents swept their primaries in a stark reversal of the insurgent trend in Democratic primaries this cycle. The most notable of these was the crushing victory of 80-year-old incumbent Senator Ed Markey over his 47-year-old challenger, Congressman Seth Moulton. Markey won with approximately two-thirds of the vote. This piece notes that Moulton, younger but running to Markey's right, was never able to establish the “generational change” dynamic he wanted in this race, as “progressives and LGBTQ rights groups rallied behind…[Senator Markey].” On this latter point, Moulton was roundly criticized by Democratic voters, even in his own district, for “scapegoating” transgender people in the wake of the 2024 election. Reporter Dave Weigel adds a coda to this piece: “The subtext of Markey ‘26 was that he would be a reliable progressive vote for whatever the movement wanted for six more years, and then Ayanna Pressley could come in and replace him. Pressley campaigned [with] Markey, starred in ads; [and] at rallies he gushed about how she was the ‘north star' and if you wanted to know what the right side of an issue was, it was the side she was on.”* Finally, with all of that said, the pro-incumbent wave in Massachusetts did cut both ways. Progressive challengers to moderate Democrat incumbents fell short in the state's eighth congressional district – reelecting Congressman Stephen Lynch for a 14th term over progressive voting rights advocate Patrick Roath. Meanwhile, in the first district, WAMC reports Congressman Richie Neal, a longtime scourge of progressives, fended off a primary challenge from teacher Jeromie Whalen in his bid for a 20th term in the House – though Whalen, a political newcomer, won an impressive 46% of the vote. Neal will however face the formidable independent candidate Nadia Milleron in the general election. Milleron won nearly 40% of the vote against Neal in 2024; perhaps, if she wins over enough of Whalen's primary supporters, she can pull out a victory in November.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Dozens of Republican lawmakers tell the press that they won't be attending Trump's midterm convention next week, citing a variety of unconvincing excuses, but the president seems unfazed by his party's lack of enthusiasm for more Trump, announcing Trump midterm ads, Trump coins, and the possibility he may rename the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait. Dan and Jon preview the pity party and then react to Ed Markey's primary win over Seth Moulton, Kamala Harris brushing off red-state Democrats refusing her support, and the Democrats' new line of attack against the GOP — tying the construction of data centers to a tax provision in the Big Beautiful Bill. Then journalist Jasper Nathaniel stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about his reporting on violence in the West Bank.Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Richard Neal and Rep. Stephen Lynch were among a slew of veteran Massachusetts lawmakers who fended off younger challengers in Democratic state primaries this week.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces a public school ban on artificial intelligence in grades K-8. Democrats react to Sen. Ed Markey's primary victory in Massachusetts. And New Jersey asks the Supreme Court to allow states to regulate prediction markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thursday, September 3, 2026 Today, Ed Markey has soundly defeated Seth Moulton in the Massachusetts Senate primary; the Trump administration has mobilized hundreds of DHS agents to scour voter lists for non-existent fraud; the Justice Department has drafted an OLC memo saying states must report all undocumented immigrants or lose federal funding; a Canadian company just won a $382M ICE contract; the USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in Thailand after its extended deployment; a survey of more than 70 Republican candidates and members revealed that most do not plan to attend Trump's midterm convention; Missouri voters appear to have recalled a city councilman over data center support; plus Allison delivers your Good News. Thank You, DailyLook For 50% off your first order, head to DailyLook.com and use code DAILYBEANS. Blue Wave Nation | https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mswbluewave The Trump Epstein Memorial Bookmobile The Daily Beans is proud to partner with Miles Taylor and our friends at DEFIANCE.org For a limited time, members of the Daily Beans community can receive a FREE 3-month full membership to DEFIANCE.org and gain access to one of the fastest-growing pro-democracy movements in America. Join here: https://www.defiance.org/beans Diamond Dames - Subscribe here: Diamond Dames - A Ted Lasso PodcastDiamond Dames - YouTube playlist Guest: Steve PiersonSwing Left, The Practivist Pod Executive Director of Blue Wave Nation The Latest Breakdown→ The Breakdown | Trump DOJ Nears Contempt Over Epstein Cover-Up StoriesSeth Moulton Abandoned Trans People, And It Cost Him Everything: Ed Markey Crushes Him In MA Senate Primary | Erin In The Morning Trump Administration Launches Hunt For Noncitizen Voter Fraud Before Midterms | The New York Times DOJ says states must report all undocumented immigrants — or lose federal funds | POLITICO ICE awards GardaWorld up to $382 million to move detainees across Texas | Project Salt Box Missouri Voters Appear to Recall City Councilman Over Data Center Support | The New York Times Republicans aren't exactly flocking to Trump's midterm convention | POLITICO USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand after extended Iran deployment | NBC News Good TroubleMail Service | Calvert County, MD - Official Website →Hands Off Our Vote! 2026 Toolkit | Indivisible →Operation Take Up Space - Commondefense.us/otus →Voter Registration Deadlines - Vote.org →Voter Registration Volunteer Opportunities · Mobilize →Helpline Orientation- Spanish Speakers Needed! · VoteRiders →Help save Texas from Ken Paxton! →NO HATE in WA State →Stand With Minnesota →iceout.org Good NewsRandom Acts of Flowers jenbfree.bsky.social/post/3muistwzrzk2kJena Nelson for Congress The Visibility Brigade Oct 9 -Southwest Funny Fest:Dana Goldberg's Southwest FunnyFest - City of Albuquerque -Email Dana@DanaGoldberg.com for sponsorship informationTickets for Dana Goldberg: Outrageous - Sep 23 - Den Theater - Chicago →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com Subscribe to the MSW on YouTube - MSW Media - YouTube Our Donation Links The Trevor Project - trevorproject.org/beans Blue Wave California - ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ National Security Counselors - Donate, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser Pathways to Citizenship - boomerang - pathways Dana and The Daily Beans support of Human Rights Campaign ONE CAUSE HRC The Daily Beans supports It Gets Better Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers email AG - fedoath@pm.me Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook, DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Pentagon is in open chaos and the man in charge is the reason. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll — a Ukraine hawk, a drone-defense innovator, and a close ally of JD Vance — just walked into the Oval Office, resigned to President Trump personally, and told him exactly why. Pete Hegseth has frozen flag officer promotions, is reportedly paying people inside the Pentagon to troll Americans on X, and is dragging senior leaders back to Washington for another culture war TED Talk while the Iran war goes sideways. Paul Rieckhoff has been warning about this since the confirmation fight, and on News Nation with Connell McShane he lays out why Hegseth is on thinner ice than anyone else in the cabinet. Then the map. Massachusetts just handed Ed Markey another term over Marine veteran Seth Moulton in a primary where more than 60% of the state's independents were shut out entirely. That's the rigged two-party system in miniature — a general election decided by a closed primary, and moderates left homeless while both parties race to their poles. But there's a counter-current worth watching: independent veteran Senate candidates Todd Achilles in Idaho, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, and Seth Bodnar in Montana are all looking more competitive by the week. This one is a fast, sharp read on what's collapsing at the Pentagon and what's rising in the Senate map. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we're doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and help us get independent veterans elected to office. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani assembled an army of nearly 200 political “influencers,” giving the social media stars VIP access to push the lefty administration's talking points. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey went to a Somali chiropractor for an adjustment by a chiropractor in a hoodie. An Illinois mom killed her kid then tried to kill herself in what people are calling a Clancy copycat killer. Ed Markey says Democrats' top priorities are defunding our military and impeaching Donald Trump if they seize power. Plus, more commentary.Thank you for supporting our sponsors that make The Dana Show possible…Relief Factorhttps://www.ReliefFactor.comYou could be the next person sharing a Relief Factor success story. Get started today with the 3-Week QuickStart for only $17.76 and tell them you heard about them on The Dana Show. Ghost Bedhttps://GhostBed.com/DANAFor a limited time during Ghost Bed's Labor Day Sale, they're offering my audience an extra 10% off their lowest prices of the season with promo code DANA. Chapterhttps://AskChapter.Org/danaAsk Chapter today if you could be saving money on your medicare coverage. Alliance Defending Freedomhttps://JoinADF.com/DanaAlliance Defending Freedom is on the front lines defending the freedoms and values that matter. Join the fight today. Byrnahttps://Byrna.com/DanaTrusted by law enforcement, security professionals, and everyday Americans—defend yourself and your family with Byrna.HumanNhttps://Humann.com/DanaGet the limited edition HumanN Watermelon Flavor and find out how to get a FREE 30-day supply before they sell out.Patriot Mobilehttp://PatriotMobile.com/DANAMake the switch to Patriot Mobile today. Visit online or call 972-PATRIOT and use promo code DANA for a FREE month of service.Webroothttps://Webroot.com/DanaSave 60% off Webroot. Protect your devices. Protect your family. Protect your peace of mind. Live a better digital life with Webroot. Subscribe today and stay in the loop on all things news with The Dana Show. Follow us here for more daily clips, updates, and commentary:YoutubeFacebookInstagramXMore InfoWebsite

Your ballot is not cancelled. Sen. Richard Blumenthal released a 20-page complaint describing a rushed September 1 launch, a federal court order standing in the way, and one move that takes you off the list entirely: vote early.An anonymous federal official, represented by Whistleblower Aid, told Congress the Postal Service built its mail ballot verification system in weeks rather than the nine months to a year a project like this normally takes, with internal staff reportedly describing the process in language we cannot print here. Brian Derrick walks through what the system would actually do, why one bad barcode could reject an entire batch, and why the courts have already frozen it. Glennis Meagher makes the case that the panic is fair and the fix is boring: make a voting plan, vote early, and get your name off the turnout lists so campaigns can spend their time on someone who needs the reminder.Then the machinery. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after months of friction with Pete Hegseth, six months into the Iran war, leaving the Army without Senate-confirmed leadership in uniform or out of it. The White House confirmed the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital will take a 35 percent stake in North American Blue Energy Partners, the Venezuelan firm owned by Alejandro Betancourt, in a deal signed by Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth that Sen. Jack Reed called a blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars. New CDC Director Erica Schwartz pulled two Pennsylvania measles deaths out of the federal tally, the first measles deaths in that state in 35 years. And Speaker Mike Johnson (good Christian man, he is - lol jk) told CNN's Manu Raju he still supports Max Miller's re-election and we have the receipts.Ed Markey held off Seth Moulton, which sets up Brian and Glennis on the actual argument underneath the age fight: what a 51-seat Senate majority means when any single absence gives it away. Your Oath Candidate of the Week is Matt Dunlap, running against Paul LePage for Jared Golden's open seat in Maine's 2nd. Also for Clickbait or Double-Click we cover Kalshi suspending Laurie Buckhout for betting on her own race (and George Santos being back in the news whyyy), the RNC scheduling its first-ever midterm convention against the NFL opener, and the NTSB tracing a Marine One close call back to White House ballroom construction. Your Good Vibe Goodbye is Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields, which raised 20 million dollars for ten women's and girls' organizations after Melinda French Gates matched the total.CORRECTION: We describe the recalled Argentine beef as 300,000 tons of spoiled beef. The August recall was issued because roughly 30,000 pounds entered US commerce without required federal re-inspection, not because spoilage was confirmed.UPDATE: This episode was recorded the morning of Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Later that evening the House voted 413 to 2 to formally censure Chuck Edwards. Edwards denies the allegations and is not seeking re-election.New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning! Hit that FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms.EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKSOath Candidate of the Week: Matt DunlapClickbait or Double-Click 1: Kalshi Suspends Republican House Candidate for Betting on Her Own Race - The New York TimesClickbait or Double-Click 2: Influencers Have a Lot to Say About Politics. Many Are Quietly Paid for It. - The New York TimesClickbait or Double-Click 3: GOP convention will battle NFL openers for attention - AXIOSClickbait or Double-Click 4: White House Construction May Have Contributed to Close Call With Trump's Helicopter - The New York TimesGood Vibe Goodbye: Olivia Rodrigo Raises $20 Million With Daisy Chain Fields Festival Thanks to Matching Commitment From Melinda French Gates - VarietySend us a text!Watch us on YoutubeFollow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok tooFollow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

On Monday the Supreme Court let the President keep building a 400 million dollar ballroom on the White House grounds. It did not rule that the ballroom is legal. It ruled that the people who sued could not prove they were injured enough to be allowed through the door, and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented and called the project likely unlawful. Nobody has ruled on that question. Nobody may ever rule on it. That is the thread running through this entire episode. The check still exists on paper. The question is whether anybody can actually reach it. In Trump Corruption Watch, newly renamed because this beat covers a lot more than money: the Venezuela oil concession, where Trump announced majority US control of more than 65 billion barrels at what he called no cost to the American taxpayer. I break down the actual structure, a 100 year concession granted by an interim government the United States installed by force in January, with the US holding 55 percent of a joint venture whose private partner still has not been publicly named. Then the ballroom ruling and what standing doctrine actually means for every citizen lawsuit against the federal government. Then the final USPS mail ballot rule, the 24 state lawsuit, and a whistleblower disclosure released by Senator Blumenthal alleging the agency raced an untested ballot portal toward launch six weeks before the midterms. Then Pete Hegseth pulling at least 45 officers off Army promotion lists this year, more than half of them women or Black officers, and the Republican congressman who defended it by saying we serve at the goodwill of the President. I also open with a correction from the August 26 show, because I got ahead of the evidence on the airport trademark story and that is on me. In Nuanced News: the strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz and why Congress reached the war powers check twice, with Republicans crossing both times, and picked a vehicle that could not bind anything. The 50 percent Canada tariffs running on a 96 year old law no court has ever tested, because nobody can afford to sue. And a Seventh Circuit ruling almost every outlet flattened, where a federal judge told the Supreme Court he can see the problem and is not free to fix it. Plus Research on a Dime on the Senate math and Ed Markey beating Seth Moulton while badly outspent, a listener question from Iowa's 2nd District about four candidates on the ballot and only two on the debate stage, and Good News including the first FDA approved drug targeting the mutation behind most pancreatic cancers. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 01:46 Welcome and the thread running through tonight 03:38 Clip: the AI generated fake political commentator networks 07:41 Trump Corruption Watch, and why the segment got renamed 09:05 Correction from the August 26 show 10:35 The Venezuela oil concession and the partner nobody will name 19:53 The White House ballroom and the 5 to 4 ruling 26:07 The USPS mail ballot rule and the whistleblower disclosure 37:08 Hegseth and the Army promotion boards 44:03 Iran, Larak Island, and the war powers vote that could not bind 52:50 The Canada tariffs nobody is suing over 58:26 The Seventh Circuit ruling almost everyone flattened 1:05:08 Quick hits: Ukraine, data centers, Meta, Flock, hush money 1:09:43 Research on a Dime: the Senate arithmetic 1:10:49 Massachusetts: Markey beats Moulton 1:12:30 Breakdown in the Public: Iowa's 2nd District debate access 1:18:45 ALIVE Podcast Network 1:19:28 Good News the media does not talk about 1:23:18 Close Got a story you want covered? Email thetrendgoldandfaith@gmail.com Share your own political solutions: https://www.reddit.com/r/policysolutions/ RESOURCES Podcast website: https://www.purplepoliticalbreakdown.com ALIVE Podcast Network: Catch a lot of great podcasts like my own, led by amazing Black voices. https://alivepodcastnetwork.com/ Living Room Conversations: Building bridges through meaningful dialogue across political divides. https://livingroomconversations.org/ Us United: A movement for unity that challenges Americans to step out of their bubbles and connect across differences. https://www.us-united.org/ OtherWeb: An AI based platform that filters news without paywalls, clickbait, or junk. https://otherweb.com/ Equal Vote Coalition and STAR Voting: Voting methods that ensure every vote counts equally. https://www.equal.vote/star Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/purplepoliticalbreakdown All links: https://linktr.ee/purplepoliticalbreakdown Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ptPAsZtHC9 Political solutions without political bias.

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for September 2, 2026. We open by taking on House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's claim that Americans don't care about the "socialism" label, and we push back hard, arguing that if the word were meaningless, Democrats wouldn't work so hard to distance themselves from it. We trace the line from Marx's Communist Manifesto to the Soviet Union's own self-description to Zohran Mamdani's push for government-run grocery stores in New York City, making the case that socialism and communism are one and the same, and that Americans' everyday worries about groceries, housing, and gas prices are really debates about capitalism versus government control. In our Top 3, we cover the latest round of US strikes on Iran after Iranian forces threatened the Strait of Hormuz, the House passing a short-term spending bill that averts a government shutdown, and 80-year-old Senator Ed Markey's primary win over Congressman Seth Moulton in Massachusetts. We also dig into a fresh YouGov poll finding that a small but growing share of Democrats believe the country focuses too much on 9/11, and we argue that number, however small, still matters because our enemies benefit whenever America grows complacent about that day. American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson join us to talk about how wedding registries have changed, from china and crystal to Christmas trees and rugs, and how weddings themselves have ballooned into full productions driven by social media. From there we look at Elon Musk's prediction of a billion humanoid robots within a decade and debate whether he's forecasting the future or selling it, before Digging Deep into a new Gallup poll showing a record 89% of Americans now believe government corruption is widespread, up ten points from just last year, and we connect that spike to COVID-era spending fraud and the DOGE investigations that followed. We get a laugh out of New York Governor Kathy Hochul quietly dropping the state's requirement that liquor license applicants disclose whether patrons will be dancing, and we hand out a Bright Spot to Speaker Mike Johnson for introducing a constitutional amendment that would lock the Supreme Court at nine justices, which leads us into a wish list of other amendments we'd like to see, from a balanced budget requirement to repealing the 16th and 17th Amendments. We close by expressing our disgust that vandals defaced Dolly Parton's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame barely a week after her death, and we leave you with Words of Wisdom on the Constitution from Calvin Coolidge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Abraham Lincoln, and John Adams. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. launched a second day of strikes on Iran after Tehran tried to put sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran firing back at American bases across the Gulf and claiming an American strike hit a wedding.Trump is under pressure to bring down gas prices before the midterms, touting a Venezuela oil deal and a meeting with energy executives even though neither is likely to deliver relief by November.And in Massachusetts, Senator Ed Markey held off a younger primary challenger while other races tested whether Democratic voters want to keep incumbents or push the party further left.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Rebekah Metzler, Megan Pratz, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Supervising Producer is Reena Advani.(0:00) Introduction(01:58) War In Iran Ramps Up(05:43) Trump Pressured By Gas Prices(09:26) Massachusetts Primary ResultsSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Tyler Robinson will stand trial and potentially face the death penalty, as he officially pleads not guilty. Senator Ed Markey defeats Congressman Seth Moulton in a closely-watched Massachusetts' Democrat Senate primary. A Bank of America executive is killed in a random Times Square stabbing spree as police fatally shoot the woman who committed the stabbings. A Georgia family seeks answers after police shoot and kill their petting-zoo donkey during a search for a missing child. Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Cozy Earth: Visit https://www.CozyEarth.com & Use code MEGYNAM for up to 20% off Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ryan and Emily discuss Iran hitting U.S. bases as Trump ramps up threats, global bond market chaos, resistance Dem humiliated by Ed Markey. Karishma Manzur: https://www.karishmaforsenate.com/ To become a Breaking Points Premium Member and watch/listen to the show AD FREE, uncut and 1 hour early visit: www.breakingpoints.com Merch Store: https://shop.breakingpoints.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

September 2, 2026 – 6am: Sen. Ed Markey wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary U.S., Iran trade strikes as war enters 7th month Whistleblower: Trump officials defying court orders on voting by mail, could be ‘catastrophic' DHS Secy. Mullin: ICE agents could be sent to polling sites MS NOW: Slotkin asks administration to pledge to not send agents to polls MS NOW rates Texas Senate race as a toss-up Norman: Trump involvement in SC primary ‘shocking' Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) reflects on Democratic opponents: Martin Poll: Most American's oppose renaming Lake Ontario To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

- The Lindsay Clancy jury remains deadlocked, pushing the case closer to a mistrial and setting up the possibility of an entirely new murder trial. - Ed Markey defeats Seth Moulton in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary and advances to face Republican John Deaton, while Gov. Maura Healey also moves on to the general election. - A congressional hearing over birthright citizenship focuses on “birth tourism,” while Rep. Ayanna Pressley argues that attacks on the policy are tied to white-supremacist replacement rhetoric. - Marcus Coleman confronts Democratic lawmakers during a sanctuary-city hearing after his daughter Delilah suffers permanent injuries in a crash involving an undocumented driver with a commercial license. - Tiger Woods pleads to careless driving and receives a five-year license suspension, appearing in court alongside Vanessa Trump as the case reaches its resolution. Today's podcast is sponsored by : PARAMOUNT PLUS - Don't Miss “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lioness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” - all episodes NOW STREAMING on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paramount Plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can now WATCH and chat with The Gerry Callahan Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble)  Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:              • Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • TRUTH Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • GETTR: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • Telegram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠               • BlueSky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Parler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Hump Day and we're back with another Majority Report On today's program: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson melts down after CNN's Manu Raju asks him if the public should judge Johnson for his lies about the war on Iran. Senator Ed Markey trounces Seth Moulton in the Democratic primary for Senate in Massachusetts. In Markey's victory speech he calls for taxing the rich, blocking the bombs and ending data centers. Milton Allimadi, co-founder of Black Star News and PhD Student at Howard University, joins to discuss the $12.8 billion funding gap facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Milton has a new book out September 20th about the Nigerian Civil War entitled, "The Day Biafra Died", which can be preordered here. In the Fun Half: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries prints out some posters to promote the Democrats agenda for next year, assuming they take control after the midterms. Jeffries is completely flabbergasted by reporters asking for something specific about the plan. READ THE POSTERS PEOPLE. Milo Yiannopoulos goes on Piers Morgan in attempt to curry favor from viewers over his deportation despite his constant cheerleading and active participation in ICE's mass deportation campaign. Harry Enten presents polling showing that given how low Trump's approval rating is, they are underperforming heading into the midterms. All that and more. To connect and organize with your local ICE rapid response team visit ICERRT.com The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AM Quickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: SMALLS: Get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping and free treats for life, when you head to Smalls.com/MAJORITY !  SUNSET LAKE CBD: Head to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use coupon code "Left Is Best" (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order. Please fill out this form to request Bryan to come to your town to do stand-up comedy @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's YouTube channel: https://ww.youtube.com/Th3Discourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here: https:/www.youtube.com/@avaraiza

80-year-old Ed Markey wins the Democratic Senate primary in Massachusetts and Richard Neal survives his primary challenge in the state's First Congressional District. Plus, U.S. and Iran exchange new strikes as the risk of war widens. Abby Livingston, Amanda Litman, Priya and Sridhar all join the 11th Hour with Ali Velshi. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join Jim and Greg for the Wednesday 3 Martini Lunch as they consider a terrific defense of capitalism in the face of CNN lefties trying to tie it to white supremacy, Rick Caruso's odd re-emergence in the LA mayor's race, Sen. Ed Markey easily winning his primary and immediately calling for Trump's impeachment, and Hunter Biden's latest weird confession.First, they applaud CNN panelist Kmele Foster for his robust defense of capitalism and how it is absurd for the left to try to link it to white supremacy as James Talarico and others have tried to do. Jim also explains that the frustrations many people think they have with capitalism is really the result of government regulation.Next, they roll their eyes as Rick Caruso, who lost the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral race to Karen Bass, suddenly reappears and seems shocked that the Democratic Socialists of America are a factor in this year's campaign. Jim and Greg discuss how Caruso's stock has fallen considerably over the past couple of years.Then, they dig into Sen. Markey's big win over Rep. Seth Moulton in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Massachusetts. And while some top Democrats are pretending otherwise, Markey immediately demanded the impeachment of President Trump if Democrats control Congress again.Finally, they're almost speechless as Hunter Biden declares himself 48.6 percent gay. Greg sees this as a ploy by Biden to gain sympathy and support on the left. Jim longs for the days when people didn't reveal every last detail of their personal lives.Please visit our great sponsors:Icognihttps://incogni.com/3MLTake control of your digital footprint with Incogni today. Use code 3ML at the link above and get 60% off an annual plan.New episodes every weekday. 

John Deaton who's running for US Senate against Ed Markey, joins the show to discuss the upcoming race and just how long Markey has been in the Senate?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join Jim and Greg for the Wednesday 3 Martini Lunch as they consider a terrific defense of capitalism in the face of CNN lefties trying to tie it to white supremacy, Rick Caruso's odd re-emergence in the LA mayor's race, Sen. Ed Markey easily winning his primary and immediately calls for Trump's impeachment, and Hunter […]

September 2, 2026 – 5am: Sen. Ed Markey wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary Incumbent Democrats win primaries in Massachusetts Two House Democrats vote to save GOP agenda DHS Secy. Mullin says ICE agents could be sent to polling sites U.S., Iran trade strikes as war enters 7th month Financial Times: Russia helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles MS NOW: Army Secretary's resignation may risk modernization efforts AI to be banned in NYC elementary and middle schools Apple maps changes name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America' To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the week gets underway, the speaker dives into the latest news and updates from around the country. From politics to sports, and even entertainment, this episode covers it all.The speaker discusses the ongoing trial of Lindsay Clancy, where the jury is still deliberating after a fifth day of deliberations. The judge has instructed them to continue their efforts, but there's always a chance of a mistrial. In other news, the primary results are in, and Ed Markey has secured the Senate seat. He'll now face Republican John Deaton in the governor's race. The speaker also touches on the Massachusetts governor's race, where Mike Minogue has won the primary and will face Governor Maura Healey in the upcoming debate on October 15th.The episode also covers various other stories, including a wild scene in Times Square, where a woman with two knives attacked and killed one person before being killed by police. The courts have also ruled that Tyler Robinson will stand trial for killing Charlie Kirk, with prosecutors saying the evidence is overwhelming.If you want to stay up-to-date on the latest news and updates, tune in to this episode to hear the speaker break down the key points and provide context on these and other stories.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Waldman and Greg Dworkin have all sorts of new things to tell you and each other! In Florida, Oliver G. Gilbert III wins the Democratic primary. He will now go against Te Brown, who completely denies her resemblance to any wanted posters you might have seen. Dem Annie Andrews leads Gop Darline Graham in polls. It'd be embarrassing if she didn't. The only worse candidate to lose to would be Ken Paxton, so awful and lazy that he would need Texas to ban voting in order to win. Why just cripple voting in Texas? Destroying mail-in voting destroys voting, period. Walmart Moms have been determined to not like high prices, AI, and corruption in government, unlike, well, no one. Democrats are enthusiastic to vote. Ed Markey, older than Trump and/or dirt, is still regarded warmly. Dems are in such a strong position that one could be in a predominate position performing in the weakest, dumbest way imaginable and still not budge the midterms. Mike Johnson can support Max Miller because it's hard to make Gops look worse. Anyhow, it isn't like Max is abusing your family. Republicans blame the backlash on data centers on AI. Be the envy of your neighborhood, put a data center in your backyard! Gops rush to install data centers before the bubble bursts or they lose their job, whichever comes first. Tractors, trucks, trains, ships, and the economy run on diesel. Both parties make the easy decision to move any hard decisions about the budget until after the election. It turns out that focusing on deporting allowed more drugs to be smuggled in. Also, secret employment of social media influencers is an unlawful covert action. Who knew? Alejandro Betancourt made billions after he listed "Conspirator 2" on his LinkedIn page. Canada does not play by either mob, or pro-wrestling rules, confusing Donald, who's suddenly quite interested in bowling alleys, and having taxpayers pay for them.

AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports Massachusetts Democrats have chosen an 80-year-old incumbent over a younger opponent in a race for the U.S. Senate.

The races for November are set. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey fended off a challenger and Republican businessman Mike Minogue won the Republican primary for the governor's race.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:1) Fighting between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz escalated, with Tehran accusing American forces of bombing a residential area in a wave of overnight strikes.The US military carried out its second round of attacks in three days, which US Central Command said targeted radar systems and mine-laying capabilities along Iran’s southern coast. This prompted the Islamic Republic to retaliate with drone and missile volleys on US bases across the Middle East, in line with tactics used throughout the six-month war.2) Three Massachusetts Democrats with more than 110 years of service in Congress between them held off much younger challengers in Tuesday’s primaries.Sen. Ed Markey, an outspoken progressive, trounced Rep. Seth Moulton, a more moderate candidate, by 65%-35% in nearly complete returns. Moulton, 47, ran an anti-establishment and generational-change campaign that tried to make the case that Markey, 80, shouldn’t be given another six-year Senate term he would finish at age 86. Markey said he was as invigorated as ever to stand up to the Trump administration.3) The selloff sweeping global bond markets looks painful, but it’s nothing compared with the rout four years ago, when soaring inflation forced central banks into a series of rapid-fire interest-rate hikes.The difference is scale. While the latest pullback has driven yields to multi-year highs in the world’s biggest markets, the move is just a fraction of the one seen in late 2022. Global government bond yields have risen 17 basis points on a rolling 20-day cumulative basis, compared with 62 basis points back then, data compiled by Bloomberg show. On a peak-to-trough basis, bonds have lost 4.2% this year — a far cry from the 23% plunge seen in 2022.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you Farmers AGAINST trump., SammyD, Cheryl

Read and Dana Ryan talk with National Correspondent Rory O'Neill about Tiger Woods' expected DUI plea change following his Florida rollover crash, new USPS whistleblower claims regarding mail-in ballot scans, and Senator Ed Markey's primary victory in Massachusetts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House joins the Senate, with a large, bipartisan vote, in passing a short-term federal government funding extension from end of the fiscal year, September 30, through December 11. That means when President Donald Trump signs it into law there will not be another government shutdown before election day in November; It is primary election day in Massachusetts, where incumbent Ed Markey is being challenged by Congressman Seth Moulton; Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) defends himself on the House floor during debate on a resolution to censure him after the Ethics Committee found he sexually harassed two female staff members; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in New York City announces the arrest of over 2,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the past month. At the same time, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) call upon Secretary Mullin to releases tens of millions of dollars in counterterrorism grants they say are being withheld from the city; Senior House Republicans react to the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; Bill to create a monument in Washington to Medal of Honor recipients is about to become law; new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes his first statement as prime minister before the House of Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you EG, Karen

9/1/26, Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz Sen Paul Mark: election day issues, union solidarity, GOTV, your vote matters, gerontocracy, local races. Sen Ed Markey: his age, his issues, accomplishments, fears & hopes. Mass Fair Housing Ex Dir Vineeth Hemavathi: from this non-profit in Holyoke, their nationwide lawsuit against the U.S. Dept of Housing & Urban Development to prevent Trump from gutting fair housing – and the injunction they achieved last week. Eric Ross, UMass grad student & Co-Founder of Massachusetts Cuban Solidarity: conditions on the island; protesting and organizing against Trump's policies.

Welcome back to The Majority Report On today's program: Donald Trump's plan gives the Pentagon a 35% stake in Venezuela's 65-billion-barrel oil fields. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has nothing to offer Americans suffering from Trump's trade war with Canada but blustering bravado. Michigan Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Mike Rogers, comes out in favor of Trump's tariffs. Fox Business reports on Michigan bearing the biggest burden from Trump's tariffs, costing the average household over $5k annually. Michigan Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed responds to reporters who are only interested in asking him about Hasan Piker. Angie Nixon, State Representative of Florida's 13th District and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate joins for a conversation about her campaign and platform. The Massachusetts primary is tomorrow; make sure you get out and vote for Ed Markey. In the Fun Half: Laura Loomer is taking credit for getting Milo Yiannopoulos deported. Tim Miller asks Neera Tanden why she is spending all of her time tweeting about Hasan Piker and Abdul El-Sayed when we are at the general election stage with very high-stakes. The PBD crew's Adam Sosnick and Bryan Callen suggest that Abdul El-Sayed is a closeted conservative by pointing to his "support for Sharia Law" - which of course is fabricated by dummies like this. Laura Loomer goes on racist rant against elected black women. An active-duty Marine Corps Colonel speaks out against the deportation of an Afghan whose family helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan. A loser who works for Laura Loomer's podcast tries a gotcha question on Rep. Summer Lee over her friendship with Hasan Piker only to be reduced to a whining mess when Lee comes back at him over his boss' racist comments towards black women. All that and more. To connect and organize with your local ICE rapid response team visit ICERRT.com The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AM Quickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: SUNSET LAKE CBD: Head to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the code HERBAL26 to save 25% on the new Sunset Lake Farms Herbal Tinctures now through September 1st at 11:59 ᴾᴹ ET. Please fill out this form to request Bryan to come to your town to do stand-up comedy @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's YouTube channel: https://ww.youtube.com/Th3Discourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here: https:/www.youtube.com/@avaraiza

Join Jim and Greg for the Monday 3 Martini Lunch as they focus on the U.S. military's phenomenal job of de-mining the Strait of Hormuz, Bernie Sanders' strange reason for endorsing another Democrat senator, Alaska's election system getting even dumber, and ICE arresting and deporting Milo Yiannopoulos.First, they marvel at the excellence of the U.S. military as U.S. Central Command announces our forces have successfully removed all mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Jim also explains what happened as U.S.-Iranian hostilities flared up again last night.Next, they can only laugh as Sen. Bernie Sanders endorses Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey for re-election in his Democratic primary Tuesday. Why? Sanders says Markey needs to win because the status quo is not working. Markey has been in Congress since 1976.Then, they take aim at Alaska's convoluted election system as the sixth place finisher in the governor's primary could be among the four candidates on the November ballot.Finally, they cheer ICE for arresting and deporting Milo Yiannapoulos.Please visit our great sponsors:Icognihttps://incogni.com/3MLTake control of your digital footprint with Incogni today. Use code 3ML at the link above and get 60% off an annual plan.New episodes every weekday. 

Retired judge Nancy Gertner discusses the latest legal battles over mail-in voting ahead of the election, and discuss the rarity of a NGBRI finding for Lindsay Clancy.Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins to talk about Congress + her endorsement of Ed Markey.Manikka Bowman, a Seth Moulton surrogate, discusses his campaign.Lisa Mure + Susan Mathison of Common Man for Ukraine join to discuss results of their Ukrainian Children's Health Retreat.

Why is 80-year-old Ed Markey surviving a Democratic revolt against aging politicians? Sarah Longwell and GBH's Adam Reilly listen to Massachusetts voters explain why Rep. Seth Moulton's 'new generation' argument isn't landing—and what the race reveals about what Democratic voters really want.Plus, they discuss Moulton's attacks on Markey, his damaging comments about trans athletes, and a brutal debate exchange over AI.Nobody else in political media does quite what we do with these focus groups: talking to voters week after week and letting you hear for yourself what's actually driving their decisions. If you're able, please considering becoming a paid member of the Bulwark and help keep this one-of-a-kind project going.

Ralph speaks with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, about the fall of the American Empire and self-proclaimed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Then we welcome the CEO and co-founder of the Canadian-based organization Corporate Knights, Toby Heap, to break down Trump's unprecedented trade war with our closest ally. Plus, Ralph has some choice words for Hakeem Jeffries and his meeting with Jared Kushner and for Hillary Clinton and her take on the war with Iran.Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired U.S. Army colonel. Over his 31 years of service, Colonel Wilkerson served as Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005, and Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. Colonel Wilkerson also served as Deputy Director and Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia, and for fifteen years he was the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, senior advisor to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and co-founder of the All-Volunteer Force Forum.Two-thirds of the world now thinks that we are an enemy of their state. Two-thirds of the world. And it happens to be the two-third that has the greatest amount of the GDP in the world.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonI've lived for 81 years, almost 82, and I've watched my country go to hell right in front of my face… And the billionaires who want all of this to happen, they do not want a democracy. A democracy is fallible. A democracy can't beat China. A democracy can't beat Russia. A democracy can't even beat Iran. They want a technocracy that is run by them, armed by them, technical revolution by them. They want all of this, and oh by the way they want to live to 150 while they're doing it too.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonEvery freaking hour they create a series of war crimes in Iran. Every freaking hour they perpetrate war crimes in the Persian Gulf. Every freaking hour they perpetrate war crimes in Lebanon with Israel. “What's new?,” I want to say. We are a criminal state. There is no other way to describe it. We are a criminal state. We pay no attention whatsoever to domestic or international law. Only when it benefits the person who is doing the deed do we pay any attention at all.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonToby Heaps is the CEO and co-founder of Corporate Knights, and Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Knights magazine. He spearheaded the first global ranking of the world's 100 most sustainable corporations in 2005, and in 2007 coined the term “clean capitalism.”What we're seeing is a sort of political physics—for every action is an equal and opposite reaction. Canada has in many ways benefited and rallied around our nationhood. We're often not the most boisterous or loudest type of folks. But this continued disrespect for our statehood and the continued attacks and the unreasonableness and the unfair play, our prime minister said something to the effect of: when the United States signs something, it's in pencil. It's really denigrating the United States' reputation globally and in Canadians' minds.Toby HeapsNews 8/28/26* This week, the left-wing insurgency in the Democratic Party scored several new victories. First, NBC reports that in Oklahoma, N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Markwayne Mullin, who Trump selected to lead the Department of Homeland Security following the resignation of Secretary Kristi Noem. Thomas will go up against Republican Congressman Kevin Hern in November. Unfortunately, Thomas stands little chance of winning the state, which has not elected a Democratic Senator since 1990. Thomas is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and identifies as a Democratic Socialist, but is “not yet” a member of DSA.* Next, in California, Democracy Now! reports progressive state lawmaker Aisha Wahab has prevailed in the special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell. This piece notes that Wahab “overcame a flood of attack ads from pro-Israel groups,” which sought to bolster her Democratic primary rival, Melissa Hernandez. In an interview, Wahab said that she “appreciates” voters in her district for “seeing through” the “lies that were spread by AIPAC.” Wahab will make history as the first Afghan American in Congress and has called for the United States to engage with the Taliban government and attempt to “[steer] them in the right direction” on human rights.* In Georgia, the Hill reports another progressive – Everton Blair – won the special election to fill the seat of Congressman David Scott, who passed away in April during his 12th term in the seat. Blair, the former chair of the Gwinnett County School Board, defeated Scott's daughter Marcye Scott. However, Blair will only represent this seat until the end of the year. Beginning in January, State Rep. Jasmine Clark, who won the May primary, will fill the seat for the 120th Congress.* Meanwhile, in the Cornhusker State, the Nebraska Examiner reports that the “Legal Marijuana NOW U.S. Senate candidate Mike Marvin announced he can't put more ‘energy' into the Senate race because of health issues and endorsed nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn.” Marvin will remain on the ballot, but is “urging all who supported [him] to now support…Osborn.” This piece notes that this announcement comes on heels of reporting by Flatwater Free Press showing that two staffers from Osborn's 2024 independent Senate campaign joined the Legal Marijuana NOW executive board and sought to dissolve the party from the inside. This, combined with the fact that former Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank paid Mike Marvin's $1,740 candidate filing fee and dropped out of the race one day after the secretary of state verified Osborn's signatures to be on the fall ballot has fueled speculation that these were coordinated efforts to clear the field for Osborn. Marvin for his part disputes this and says he never planned to leave the race. Osborn is quoted saying “We hope to earn the support of the LMN voters and hope that we can represent their concerns well in the US Senate.”* In more third party news, Trump has launched new broadsides against the emerging ex-MAGA clique – consisting of Tucker Carlson, Congressman Thomas Massie, and former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. According to the Hill, Trump attacked the group, said to be exploring the possibility of founding a new right-wing party, calling Carlson “a loser,” Greene “a highly neurotic woman” and Massie a “real JERK” on Truth Social. The president added, “What a team this would be, THREE LOSERS, and a pocketful of change!...The only chance they have is to join the Radical Left Dumocrats, and try breaking into the Primary System. To all of them I say, PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!” The proximate cause of this latest flare-up between the camps is Trump's decision to allow in 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported in the next 90 days, a move Massie called “worse than socialism.” Greene, who has been perhaps the most vocal defector from the MAGA camp, said “He attacks us with such vitriol because we actually are everything he claimed to be…he has proven as President that he is nothing more than a neocon puppet for Israel, corporations, big donors with special interests, and his dear friends in the Epstein class…We never changed, Trump did.”* Another story from this side of the aisle comes to us from NOTUS, which reports that an “unknown actor” has stolen over $16,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). This incident, alternatively characterized as a “theft” from a “foreign country” or simply a “fraud,” occurred in early July, when the NRCC “attempted to pay a bill from Ranger Wi-Fi Consulting, a Texas-based firm that specializes in helping clients ‘optimize their wireless networks while ensuring healthy security measures are in place.'” Seeking to assuage the fears of donors, NRCC spokesman Will Kiley told the press that “Protecting donor funds is a top priority for the NRCC,” and vowed that the committee is “working to recover the funds, and…taken steps to ensure it can't happen again.” Listeners might remember that in July, the DNC admitted that they had fallen prey to a scammer, losing almost $30,000 in the process. It would seem that these committees do not have functional safeguards against such schemes.* Our final stories this week all deal with the Middle East. First up, Axios reports that while AIPAC was gearing up for a major ad blitz in Michigan against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and on behalf of Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, those plans have apparently been iced at the behest of the Rogers campaign. According to this story, Rogers believes that AIPAC spending in the Democratic primary – over $30 million on behalf of El-Syed's rival Haley Stevens – actually helped boost El-Sayed's candidacy, making his opposition to AIPAC a “centerpiece of his…campaign, using the group's spending against him to portray Democratic opponent Haley Stevens as beholden to the pro-Israel lobby.” Rogers fears the same fate, so he has sought to keep his distance from AIPAC while his allies are urging AIPAC to “get involved without putting the group's name front and center.” However, Rogers' attempts to put some daylight between his campaign and AIPAC has resulted in the latter turning cold towards the Republican candidate. Republicans now worry that AIPAC will “sit out the general election entirely.” As for the perception of AIPAC in Michigan, a recent poll found that “55% of Michigan voters oppose continued U.S. aid to Israel.”* On the other end of the Michigan political spectrum, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding that he “ensure the immediateand permanent release of U.S. citizen Sama Safi, a 20-year-old university student with a severe complex chronic health condition, who the Israeli military has arbitrarily and wrongfully detained since June 2nd.” This letter goes on to describe how “armed Israeli soldiers raided her family's home in the occupied West Bank in the middle of the night and tore her from her family,” and that since then, she has “suffered under appalling conditions in Israeli military detention including “frequent physical assault, shackling, and the throwing of gas and stun grenades into already overcrowded and poorly ventilated cells,” among other horrors. 40 more members of Congress signed this letter, including six senators, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen among them. 85 civic groups also signed onto this demand, ranging from faith-based groups to human rights organizations and beyond.* In the region itself, a broad coalition of Muslim states – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and, perhaps most notably, the United Arab Emirates – have issued a categorical condemnation of Israel's new “E1” settlement plan. This plan relates to new settlement activities east of occupied East Jerusalem and the signatories decry the plan as constituting “a dangerous escalation that further advances settlement expansion and annexation and undermines the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory…thereby threatening the viability and realization of an independent, contiguous Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.” The UAE was the most significant state in the region to sign onto the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, which sought to normalize relations between Israel and its neighbors at the expense of the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia was said to be on the verge of signing the accords prior to October 7th and Israel's subsequent genocidal military campaign in Gaza. The UAE taking a new stand against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian cause is widely seen as the final death knell of the Abraham Accords and the beginning of a new era of relations in the Middle East.* Finally, the Economist reports that a group of seven top officials within the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is consolidating power in Iran. The man rumored to be leading this junta is Mohsen Rezaei, the new national-security adviser, former presidential candidate and the longest-serving chief of the IRGC, having led the corps though the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Others include the head of the navy, currently overseeing Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the IRGC's commander-in-chief and founder of the Quds Force. Notably absent from this group is Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. This piece judiciously avoids making any definite predictions about whether this new clique will rule as hardliners or pragmatists, but emphasizes that the late Ali Khamenei expertly “balanced the competing interests of his realm” while these military men favor action.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

As the days dwindle before the Democratic primary, both incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton are crisscrossing the state, hammering home the campaign themes they think will carry them to the general election.

8/27/26: Co-Host Andy Bukowski “A Nation Wrestles with God”—Ilan Stavans, Amherst College Professor,of Humanities, Latin American and Latino culture & Co-founder and Publisher of Restless Books, shares insights and questions from his new book, including what the Founders really thought about the place of religion in their new country. Dan Crowley, Ex Editor, Daily Hampshire Gazette & Greenfield Recorder, on Tuesday's elections: Jeromie Whalen v Richard Neal, Seth Moulton v Ed Markey, Lora Wondolowski v Corrine Coryat, & the South Hadley override: how editorial, news and Opinion Page decisions are made and space allocated in an election cycle; how editorial cartoons are chosen; and when the coverage stops. Rev. Carole Bull on our spirit and values and the power of prayer and meditation in troubled times and as impetus for social action and fighting for justice. All that Jazz: John Anz with truly extraordinary musician and composer Champian Fulton—live from the North Sea, coming to the Northampton Jazz Festival.

8/27/26: Co-Host Andy Bukowski “A Nation Wrestles with God”—Ilan Stavans, Amherst College Professor,of Humanities, Latin American and Latino culture & Co-founder and Publisher of Restless Books, shares insights and questions from his new book, including what the Founders really thought about the place of religion in their new country. Dan Crowley, Ex Editor, Daily Hampshire Gazette & Greenfield Recorder, on Tuesday's elections: Jeromie Whalen v Richard Neal, Seth Moulton v Ed Markey, Lora Wondolowski v Corrine Coryat, & the South Hadley override: how editorial, news and Opinion Page decisions are made and space allocated in an election cycle; how editorial cartoons are chosen; and when the coverage stops. Rev. Carole Bull on our spirit and values and the power of prayer and meditation in troubled times and as impetus for social action and fighting for justice. All that Jazz: John Anz with truly extraordinary musician and composer Champian Fulton—live from the North Sea, coming to the Northampton Jazz Festival.

8/27/26: Co-Host Andy Bukowski “A Nation Wrestles with God”—Ilan Stavans, Amherst College Professor,of Humanities, Latin American and Latino culture & Co-founder and Publisher of Restless Books, shares insights and questions from his new book, including what the Founders really thought about the place of religion in their new country. Dan Crowley, Ex Editor, Daily Hampshire Gazette & Greenfield Recorder, on Tuesday's elections: Jeromie Whalen v Richard Neal, Seth Moulton v Ed Markey, Lora Wondolowski v Corrine Coryat, & the South Hadley override: how editorial, news and Opinion Page decisions are made and space allocated in an election cycle; how editorial cartoons are chosen; and when the coverage stops. Rev. Carole Bull on our spirit and values and the power of prayer and meditation in troubled times and as impetus for social action and fighting for justice. All that Jazz: John Anz with truly extraordinary musician and composer Champian Fulton—live from the North Sea, coming to the Northampton Jazz Festival.

As the Trump administration launches economic wars against Iran and Canada, the Washington Post reports on Trump's war with a third adversary: his weight. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett calculate Trump's BMI and then break down Scott Bessent invoking World War II when announcing new Iranian sanctions and Trump's new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports. They then turn to the midterms to discuss Susan Collins skipping out on a campaign event with JD Vance, Mike Rogers' attempt to distance himself from AIPAC, and Democrats' growing chances to flip Ohio blue. Then, Congressman Seth Moulton talks to Jon about the Massachusetts Senate primary and why he's decided to challenge Senator Ed Markey.

It is never too late to chase a dream, even one that has waited decades for its turn. My guest, Evan Katz, built a career in journalism, public finance, and local government before taking an unexpected path into professional baseball. After first playing organized baseball at age 45, Evan became a professional player at 61 and later coached professional baseball at 69. We talk about how fear can become motivation, why setbacks can be powerful learning opportunities, and how skills gained across a lifetime can prepare us for challenges we never expected to face. Evan also shares what he learned from calling himself the “least qualified coach in professional baseball,” and how listening, mentoring, and supporting others became some of his greatest strengths. His story is a wonderful reminder that personal growth, career change, and lifelong learning do not come with an expiration date. Highlights: 02:47 – How family work ethic shaped Evan's drive. 11:26 – How fear can become motivation. 13:08 – Why setbacks can become learning opportunities. 35:06 – What local government taught Evan about growth. 42:29 – Why he started playing baseball at 45. 53:37 – How he became a professional baseball coach at 69 About the Guest: Evan grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts two miles from Fenway Park in the 1960s and quickly learned the emotional highs and lows of being a Red Sox fan.  When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, after an 86-year championship drought, he rang church bells to celebrate. After a long award-winning career in municipal and public school finance in Massachusetts, and raising a family of four with his wife Liz, Evan began his late-life baseball career in earnest at age 65.  He was an assistant high school coach for three years, and documented the team's Massachusetts state championship in the story “No Earbuds in the Outfield.” Evan Katz's pro baseball career began at age 61 when he pitched for the White Sands Pupfish of the independent Pecos League in 2017. When euphoria subsided and his infinity ERA began to sting, Evan returned to the Pecos League at age 67. With the Austin Weirdos he became one of the oldest pitchers ever to start a minor league game and lowered his ERA to 29.25 After an aborted stint as pitching coach with the Roswell Invaders in 2024, Evan returned to the Pecos League in 2025 as bullpen coach of the North Platte 80s. As the 80's scout he recruited players for the second-year Nebraska team.  As bullpen coach he supported the North Platte pitching staff which anchored the team's 27-21 record and helped the team reach the second round of the playoffs. And this despite just three years as a high school coach, and no college coaching experience. There were more than 2000 coaches among nearly 300 major, minor and independent pro baseball teams and Evan was the least qualified. To share his second career in baseball and other inspiring baseball stories, Evan manages his baseball website “Baseball by the Sea Media.” It includes exclusive feature stories plus biographies and game stories published by the Society for American Baseball Research. It also links to the 2024 award-winning two-season podcast he co-hosted with Bruce McClure, “Baseball's Last Frontier: Stories from the Pecos League.” Ways to connect with Evan**:** https://sites.google.com/view/baseballbythesea/home https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-katz-351554b/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe? Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingston, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head-on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together, we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hi, everyone, and welcome to another Unstoppable Mindset podcast episode today. We get to chat with Evan Katz, and Evan's got an interesting life, especially since, if you will, he started the second part of his life, or maybe it's not the second, maybe it's later, of being a professional baseball coach at the age of 61. Well, we're going to hear about that. Evan lives in Massachusetts, in Swampscott, grew up in Brookline, which was very close to where the Red Sox play. I'm sure he's got lots of stories that we get to talk about with that. But anyway, Evan, I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset. We're really glad you're here. Evan Katz  01:42 Thanks, Michael. I really appreciate the invitation. I I think that I'm excited to be part of a show with with with the theme that that you emphasize because I think that that when you reached out to me to ask if I was interested in in sharing some of my life experiences, I realize that there's a there's an unstoppable part of my mindset that has allowed me to achieve some things I didn't think were going to be possible. Michael Hingson  02:10 There you go. Well, you know, a lot of times we plan, and what we plan doesn't always necessarily go exactly the way we thought. But that's okay. It's it's a question what we do with it and what we learn from it. I suppose why don't we start by you telling us a little bit maybe about the early Evan growing up and and all that. And I know that you had mentioned that you think you actually got your kind of unstoppable mindset attitude from your parents and all that. So if you want to talk about that as as we go, you're welcome to. But anyway, why don't you start by telling us a little bit about the early Evan, if you will. Evan Katz  02:42 Sure. Well, you know, as you mentioned, I grew up outside of Boston in the town of Brookline, which is about two miles from Fenway Park. I'm a baby boomer. My my parents worked really hard, and they they worked hard to get their first house. They worked hard to fix it up. My mother was at home. My father worked in his parents' hardware store and was always fixing up the house. We ended up upgrading houses because of all the work that he did. And my mother, although she wasn't working, you know, she was involved in local politics, trying to improve the schools. And one of the stories I told when she passed away a number of years ago that she was so effective about mobilizing people to make changes in the school system. One of the school principals said to somebody else, "Get that Pawnee cats off the phone, Michael Hingson  03:34 because of course Evan Katz  03:35 at the time telephone was the only way to connect with people. But you know she had her unstoppable mindset in terms of making changes in public education in Brookline, my dad in terms of living the dream that he had for his family, and I really think that that in my own way I picked up that same hard worth it work ethic, and it's popped up along the way throughout my my life and my career. I Michael Hingson  04:00 I know what you mean. I know my parents were somewhat the same way. My dad worked at. Well, we moved to California when I was five, and before we moved, we were in Chicago. And he and my uncle owned a TV repair shop, and my dad left that to move to California. Wanted to do that anyway, but he began working at a government installation, was called Plant 42, and then later transferred to Edwards Air Force Base. My mom stayed home for a while. She actually helped sell real estate, helped sell some of the houses on the street where we moved because they were they were brand new, and the real estate people trusted her, so she she did some of that. Don't know what she earned or how all that worked, but but she did okay. But my dad worked, and I I feel very blessed. They they clearly taught me a lot, and I value very much their work ethic. I know what you're talking about. Evan Katz  05:01 Well, family is a great resource, whether it's your immediate family or extended family. And also, again, at the time that that I was growing up, most of our extended family lived right in the area, so there was a lot of connecting with cousins and uncles and grandparents. And I think that had its own way of shaping because we had a pretty hardworking, determined family, and I think that got passed on again, not just in my parents, but from my extended family as well. We Michael Hingson  05:28 had aunts and uncles and cousins. A lot of them were in Chicago. Then aunt and uncle and their two boys and our cousins moved out to California, but it was long after we moved. And then our next closest relative was actually up in the San Francisco area. Aunt Bella and Uncle Oscar owned a shoe store, and but and there were some other people who we called aunts. I'm not sure that they actually were, but aunts and uncles. But they they lived in the L.A. area. But most of our relatives were not very close by. Well, that's that's fine, but value the relationships nonetheless. So what was what was school like for you? Well, elementary school and high school and so on. Evan Katz  06:22 Well, I went to the local elementary school, and as I think, as I as I suggested, it was one of the schools that was being neglected by the town. My mother and her friends advocated for equal resources. It was also during the time where Christmas carols were being sung in school, and it was not something that my parents thought was appropriate. I was Jewish. There were other Jewish kids in school, not very many, and just didn't seem like this was the thing that should be happening, given where our country was at the time. And so I did well in elementary school. I mean, the interesting thing was I skipped kindergarten, so I was always the youngest and the slowest on the playground, and it actually contributed to my not participating in sports through my early years and into into high school, which we will we'll hear more about that later. But I got a good education. I loved numbers. I learned in high school after I had horrible year my sophomore year writing. I was determined to learn. I took a couple of English classes from mr. Carey at Newton South High School. Learned to become a good writer, and ultimately that led to my writing on college newspapers and becoming a newspaper reporter. My first job out of college. So, you know, the kind of thing when you go through school, you try to figure out, you know, what are the things that that that sing to you. And first, it was numbers for me, and I ended up going into a career in public finance, and then the writing, which I ended up becoming a newspaper reporter, put that on hold. And about 10 years ago, or eight years ago, I started a baseball social media website, and I ended up writing baseball stories. So, so here I am in my my my formative years in school, taming numbers, becoming a CFO in the public sector, and becoming a good writer-they got me through life. Michael Hingson  08:33 How did you end up being able to skip kindergarten? Evan Katz  08:37 That was back in the day. They didn't have minimum age requirements. If you pass the test, you you got to go right to first grade. Michael Hingson  08:44 Ah, well, I know I went to kindergarten in Chicago, and you started in Chicago at age four. Then we moved to California, and the problem is in California you couldn't start kindergarten till age five, but I had had a year of kindergarten already, but they wouldn't let me just go to first grade because I was only five, so I ended up with two years of kindergarten. And I'm not sure that second year was all that exciting for me, because kids were drawing and doing all sorts of stuff that I wouldn't do being blind. But we coped, and we got through it. I also did love numbers and so on, and my dad taught me how to do math in my head, so I was really doing well with math. And my my mother helped me with spelling tests and reading other material to me, and so on. So we got through it, and again, they took that on without any remorse at all, which, as I think back on it, was just part of their gutsiness and their unstoppability. Because the doctors told them that no blind child could ever amount to anything, and they were going to prove the doctors wrong. And I would like to think that they did, but we. We went through it, and I didn't actually. I learned Braille when I was in kindergarten in Chicago, but then didn't have access to Braille till the fourth grade out here in California. Yep. Yeah. Well, but my my parents read and kept me up with everything, but still it was a problem. But then I got Braille again, and so it all worked out, but I, but I, but I know what you're saying. It still gets back to the work ethic, and our parents were gonna do everything they could to make sure we all succeeded, didn't they? Evan Katz  10:32 Well, and I think also, Michael, you've touched on it, and I did as well. You know, there are things, there are areas we go into, whether it's school or work or relationships, we're blessed with certain talents and traits, but we also have areas that are not our strengths, and we're always having to work to figure out how to how to compensate for our areas of call it weakness or limitations, and also how to allow our strengths to to overcome those and and then to help generate success. Michael Hingson  11:05 Yeah, and and we do need to do that. And and the reality is that we're all generally better at some things than we are at other things, but we can make it work if we if we try. I wrote and published with a colleague, Carrie Wagg Kent, two years ago a book called *Live Like a Guide Dog* which is all about learning to control fear and its life lessons that that tell us that fear doesn't need to overwhelm us or, as I put it, blind us. That that we can use fear as a very powerful tool to help us, and I mention that because there are so many things that we fear in the world, and most of them we don't have any control over. I mean, I know that there are things that that I don't get to do right now that other people do because they can see different things. But at the same time, I have gifts that most of those people never either learn to use or choose to use or can use, and so we all have to work together to make the world successful. And I think that's the big issue. Evan Katz  12:11 Well, I think your point about fear is really important because we we all have fears, we all have worries, and fear can be paralyzing, and but it can also be motivating, and I think it's important that if you get into a situation that that you're concerned about or worried about, you should acknowledge that you're in something. Maybe you're over your head, and we'll talk about my coaching a professional team at age 69 without ever having coached college baseball, going right from high school coaching to professional coaching, that was the hardest job of my life, and that fear motivated me to figure out how am I going to come up with those compensating skills? How am I going to be able to succeed? Because I want this to succeed not just for me, but for the players around me. So, so fear. It's important to to recognize it, and so that you know that it's there, but also be able to take advantage of what fear can motivate you to do. Michael Hingson  13:13 Well, and fear doesn't need to paralyze you unless you let it. And that's the the big issue: is that we don't learn generally how to control fear and to use fear in a positive way. We worry about so many things over which we'll never have control because we just don't, and we let all of that worry us, and that that certainly adds so much to the fear levels that we face, and if we would only learn to just focus on what we can control, that doesn't mean you don't be aware of other things. But don't worry about the things over which you don't have control. It will help your life a whole lot. Evan Katz  13:53 And another aspect to that is, and I and I learned this, and as I mentioned, I worked in the public sector for for for almost 40 years, and I came up with the phrase at one point, and I I don't remember the circumstances. And somebody said, "I don't know if this is going to work. I don't know if we have the money. I don't know we have the people. This may not be a good solution, or the operation may not work. And I said, "Well, I think we have to see if it fails because if it fails, then we're going to learn something. Obviously, we didn't want anyone to lose a job or to get hurt. It wasn't failing in that regard, but but the you have to have enough courage so that if something isn't going to work, you can use that as as a learning opportunity as well, so you can't have fear of failure either. Because then we can all look back. You're old enough. I'm old enough to look back on our lives and see those learning moments. Many of them came from times that didn't work out so well, Michael Hingson  14:55 which doesn't mean that we failed. And I think that's the big issue. I think we have to deal with. Failure is is something that we have to really get over thinking about because failure isn't really it. What what it is is that things didn't work out the way we planned, but that doesn't mean that we failed, which means we just can't go on. We're we're stuck. It's it's a learning experience, and that is part of what dealing with fear is all about. Is rather than worrying about it. All right, so this didn't work. Don't fret. Don't worry. Don't panic. What did you learn from it? How do we get beyond that? And that's the thing that we generally tend not to do very much: is to do a lot of self-analysis in our own lives. Take time at night to step back and look at what worked during the day, what didn't work, and the what didn't works weren't failures, but they were learning opportunities if we take advantage of our own skills to develop our mind muscle to do that. Evan Katz  15:57 Absolutely, I Michael Hingson  15:58 think that's that's so important. Well, so for you, you you where did you go to college? Evan Katz  16:08 I graduated from Newton South High School. We went from Brookline to Newton in the 70s. I went to a small college in Western New York, Alfred University, for two years, and ultimately graduated from Colby College in Maine in 1977. As I mentioned, I wrote for both the newspapers at Alford and Colby, and that's where I got my my my journalistic experience back then. Writing for college newspapers was was a big deal back then, Michael Hingson  16:39 yeah, Evan Katz  16:39 and that worked out really well. I was going to go into teaching. That was my original plan. I did some internships in college. I even, when I was at Colby, I took a semester and helped out at a small fourth grade class in neighboring Oakland, Maine, helping out kids doing lessons in the in the corridor and in the back of the room to help them with their math, but when I left college, I had done enough writing, primarily sports, that I decided to to follow journalism. But the college years were really an eye opener for me. As I mentioned, I was a year young. You know, I was the drinking age was 18, and I was still only 17 and a half when I went to college, but somehow my IDs got me through into the pub. But it was a really eye-opening experience going to college in New York. I'd been in Massachusetts my whole life and was in a small town in Western New York, and it was just so eye-opening to see a part of the country and people that were very unlike where I lived in terms of Alfred. Most of the kids were from New York, and then going to Maine, they were more from New England. But it was just a real eye-opening experience. I think we all go through that in our late teens and early 20s, really beginning to discover, you know, who we are, what situations are we comfortable in? We test ourselves. We do crazy things, and it all turned out okay because I was able to get a job right out of college. Michael Hingson  18:11 So teaching was your plan, but it didn't go that way. Evan Katz  18:16 No, it didn't. And interestingly enough, I was looking back through my father's memorabilia when he died, and I think I knew this, but I was reminded that he wanted to teach originally, and he actually was a mentor to many people during his working career. And he took great pride and went to the Peace Corps actually for a number of years in his 60s, and so you know the whole teaching mentoring thing ran in our family, so I guess it's kind of ironic that I ended up coaching baseball at age 65 as a as a teacher and a mentor. But but the college experience, you know, I still think about it. I just sold my vinyl records. It was it was a little traumatic, but I did sell my vinyl records recently because I can listen to everything over the internet now, and but that was a water watershed moment selling my vinyl that I listened to in college for all those years. Michael Hingson  19:14 I still have mine from working at the campus radio station. I got a lot of records back here, and I I am somewhat of the opinion of the I don't know whether I would call them snobs, but I still think the best quality is still vinyl. Evan Katz  19:30 Well, as you know, Michael, one of the best attributes of vinyl records is when they were originally the songs were compiled and sequenced. It was they were designed to listen through the whole side of an album. Michael Hingson  19:44 Yeah, Evan Katz  19:44 and I mean obviously Pink Floyd was classic, and I'm sure that there were others that come to mind that I can't think of. And I was a big fan of the Doobie Brothers, and to this day I'll still turn off my radio in the car and put on a couple of Doobie Brothers albums and listen to them straight. Same with Chicago. It just the music was meant to be arranged, you know, for half an hour or 35 minutes, not just three and a half minutes. And I think a little bit of that has been has been lost with today's music. Michael Hingson  20:13 Yeah. Well, I think there's there's truth to that. And I even go back further. I've been a fan for many many years of big bands, primarily Swing, Benny Goodman, and and so on, but also doop and early rock. But I and I like some of the other rock. But I've never been a great heavy metal fan. But that's okay. Some people like it, and then that's fine too. But I really enjoy my records as well, which is a lot of fun. Yeah, I Evan Katz  20:42 did listen to Van Halen cassettes driving. Somehow, a Van Halen arrangement wasn't quite the same as Chicago. No, Michael Hingson  20:50 no, it is a little bit different. There's no doubt about that. So, what was your job that you ended up getting out of college? Evan Katz  20:57 I ended up worked as a stringer, which I don't even know if there are any anymore, but I think I got paid 10 cents an inch for covering soccer for the Newton graphic. I covered the Newton South soccer team, and also I I don't know how much an hour I got. I covered the Westin Wildcats. That's a small town west of Boston for the Westin Town Crier. That's how I got started in journalism, and I ultimately was hired as a part-time reporter by the Walpole Times, which is small town southwest of Boston. And I eventually became a full-time reporter there, covering town government, writing feature stories, learned how to use a 35 millimeter camera. We we had our own darkroom there, and I thought it was so much fun going out to meetings, interviewing people, compiling stories. It was just it wasn't like work. It was it was it was exciting, and it paid the bills, and I was living on my own for the first time. Michael Hingson  22:06 That didn't get you to graduate to things like going into television on WEEI and doing sports for them, huh? Evan Katz  22:13 No, the the the written word at the time, and even today still is is where I am. Although, as I joke with my friends, just put a microphone in front of me, and I'll start talking. Michael Hingson  22:26 So that's okay. Well, so how long did you write? And then what happened Evan Katz  22:32 was, so as I mentioned, my mother was very involved in local government, and I grew up in Brookline. And the interesting thing was, I was covering the planning board and the school committee in Walpole, and I'm I'm going to the meetings and I'm listening to them talking about the issues that they're dealing with, and I'm thinking to myself, so this is what 1979. I'm 23 years old, and I'm thinking, I mean, I can do better than this. I mean, listening to these these people talk about how they're going to solve problems, and I said, I think I can really help. So, the local legislator from Walpole, his name was Frank Woodward, had an opening in his office, and I started working as a legislative aide for him, working in the state house. It was very exciting. My mother was so proud. When some one morning in March, I don't know if it was 1979 or 1980, and I walked up the steps of the State House. Big blue sky in Boston. It was a big golden dome. I'll never forget. I walked up the front steps, looked up at the golden dome and the big blue sky in March of whatever year that was, so excited. My mother was so proud. My dad was too, obviously. And then I got involved in government, and that's where it all started. Working in the state house to really begin to understand the importance of issues. You know, it wasn't just local government, but how the state government intersected with the federal government, and how much how how important government is to making people's lives safe and protected. Michael Hingson  24:07 Yeah, and I think that is that is something that although there is certainly a lot going on today that is not necessarily the the model of what government ought to be, probably, but still, government and what the House of Representatives and the Senate do at the federal level, and what happens at the at the state house and in the state government is really important. And I wish more people would seriously get involved with it, and and do it from an ethical standpoint. But you know, we, I guess, we go through through different kinds of eras of how things work. Evan Katz  24:54 Well, it's interesting in the tumult that we're going through here. I recently had a chance. Last month to go to England with my wife. I hadn't been there for a while, and and I was really struck by how the history dates back centuries and centuries and centuries prior. You know, to 1066, I guess is one of the lines in the sand or the dirt in England. But when they started the more modern era, and what I was really struck by when you think about a country like England and all the difficulties, all the changes, all the times that they were under threat from external forces, internal forces, all the chaos, and somehow they've survived. And I think this is one of the real attributes of Great Britain. And I just began to think about what we're going through here, and I think I have to be hopeful in the same way. Michael Hingson  25:56 Yeah, I agree that Evan Katz  25:57 that that we've been here for 250 years. I know it's short compared to England. Supposedly, one author says that republics die after 250 years. I don't know if I buy that necessarily, but but the point is that that that I think somehow, some way, we're going to survive this because other countries have been through much more over much longer periods of time, and here they are. And 2026 is stable, viable countries. Michael Hingson  26:25 Yeah, and they're still there, and they're going to be there. And I agree with you. I think that we're we're going to continue, and maybe republics die after 250 years, but it doesn't mean they have to. And I think that's that's part of it. So what did you what did you do in terms of you you went to work in the state house or what did you do? Evan Katz  26:48 And I was a legislative aide, so we would get information on legislation, take a lot of constituent phone calls because at the time the only time only way you got a hold of your legislator was either make a phone call. Of course, I think from Walpole to Boston, it might have been a toll call at that time. So maybe we got more letters from Walpole. I don't know, but constituent constituent concerns, working with state agencies to resolve things, and and it just got me acquainted with with with how government works, and it just gave me an appreciation for what it takes to make government work for for the the residents of Walpole and a couple other nearby towns, and also you get to see the the leaders of the state at that time the the Senate President and the the Speaker of the House, and you get to understand a little bit more how they show leadership and what skills and attributes work well, and what ones in your mind don't work well. But the whole bottom line is, you know, how is it working for the constituents? And to me, that became more and more important. Is what's the bottom line here? It's not about power. It's not about success at the legislator. The bottom line is the impact on people. Michael Hingson  28:13 Well, I remember that when I lived in Winthrop, every year I would go with people from the National Federation of the Blind, we went to Washington every year. Five, 600 of us descended on Washington and visited all of our legislators. And I remember actually once having the opportunity to set up an appointment and meet with Tip O'Neill. What an amazing guy he was! Yeah. But then also there was a new congressman who had just joined, Ed Markey. Evan Katz  28:45 Oh sure. Michael Hingson  28:46 Now look where he is. He's but but it was it was so much fun seeing Congress in action and actually being a part of it, talking about different kinds of issues, and of course it got to meet Ted Kennedy and also Paul Songas along the way as well. And I and I also was involved in things in in Massachusetts because one of the problems we had in the early '80s in Massachusetts and around the country was that blind people couldn't buy life insurance because the life insurance companies said we're a higher risk, we'll have a higher mortality rate, and finally, to keep the story short, we discovered that unlike what insurance companies say they do, which is they make their determinations always based on actuarial statistics, evidentiary data, and they create mathematical models based on evidence. They had absolutely not one single solitary thing to show that blind people or other people with disabilities were a higher risk than anyone else. So I worked back in the late 70s, early 80s with I don't you may. I've known him, Al Evan Katz  30:02 Sagasi. I recognize the name. Michael Hingson  30:03 Yeah, and so he he helped us shepherd a bill through that eventually eliminated discrimination in dealing with life insurance in Massachusetts, and and actually was something that passed in every state that all all the states dealt with that because the insurance companies were just playing games, which was so unfortunate. So when I was growing up, my parents couldn't insure me. When I was in college, I couldn't buy life insurance, and and eventually it got addressed. But it was, and it still is fascinating to think back and be a part of making a difference and really working to help constituents and help the legislature. Evan Katz  30:48 Well, there's a great example of numbers not being in action. You know, they're hiding behind perceived numbers, and then you do do a little bit of digging, and you find out that it's not quite as fact-based as they made it sound, Michael Hingson  31:02 yeah, and in fact there was no fact, and but still we worked through it, but the process was, I think, and still is for me one of the most fascinating things to to be able to go and be a part of dealing with things and and hopefully getting legislators to deal with issues and I'm not sure that there's as much of that that's happening today with everything going on but it'll come back. Evan Katz  31:34 Not not in Washington anyway. I think you've got to look to the states more than Washington. Washington's an anomaly right now. Michael Hingson  31:42 Yeah, Washington is really a big problem, and and but it'll it'll it'll switch at some point. I hope. I think it's going to have to, but but we'll see how it goes. If Speaker 1  31:55 you enjoy Unstoppable Mindset and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes, thank you for being part of the Unstoppable Mindset Community. Michael Hingson  32:27 So you you went to work and you were legislative aide. How long did you do that? Evan Katz  32:32 Actually, not not. I think it was a little over a year because I ended up working on a referendum campaign. There's a thing in Massachusetts to limit property taxes, that's called Prop Two and a Half, that passed in 1980. I ended up working for Representative Woodward and a couple of other reps. There was an alternative on the tried to get on the ballot as an alternative to Two and a Half that wouldn't be quite as dramatic. Although I think, looking back as someone in the public sector, I think it's a good thing that Prop two and a half passed, but I got involved in working on a referendum campaign as an alternative to Prop two and a half. It didn't pass, and then at that point, I decided needed to get some professional training, and I went to get my graduate degree in public administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard, so I would have more credentials and I could really get into local government, and that really opened the door. Once I got my master's degree, I ended up working for the state. I think I mentioned my mother and family were from were from Brookline. We were acquainted with Governor Dukakis, and my mother worked actually very close with Govern was very close with Governor Dukakis, and he really encouraged me to go to graduate school, and I ended up going to the Kennedy School. And from there, I went and worked for his administration. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue started a division to support local government finance. It was really very innovative at the time in the early '80s. You know, cities and towns were separate. The state was just a regulatory reagency, and Governor Dukakis wanted to create an agency that could be a resource to local government to help them make better decisions. We created a municipal data bank to try to gather information to get to gather statistical information and ultimately help guide cities and towns to budget better, to plan their capital budgets better. And I was involved in the formation of that bureau in the Mass Department of Revenue. It was called the Division of Local Services, and I ended up working there in the early '80s, to really get a feel for how state government worked, state aid, and all that sort of thing, and then I learned enough there and decided to go out and see what it was like myself to work in a city or town, and that that's was around 1980. So I got my training at is in graduate school, learned more in state government, and then in the mid '80s went out to work in town halls and and city halls, and that that talk about fear, that that was frightening. Michael Hingson  35:18 It was a new experience. Evan Katz  35:20 Absolutely, you know, you you you you're in the state house, and there's there's 240 state reps and 40 senators, I think, all kinds of legislative aides. You're working in a state agency, and it's a whole bunch of 20 something and 30 something colleagues and bosses and this and that. There's always someone you can ask, always someone that can support you. You go to a town hall, and there's there's three clerks and a bunch of select board members. In Massachusetts, there are boards of selectmen in the small towns, or the select board now. Back then, it was select men, but you're on your own out there, and it's very, very different. You know, having a bunch of colleagues to support you in the big city when you're out in the small town of Groton, 40 miles from Boston, with 7000 people, and you're the resource in town hall. It's a lot different. Michael Hingson  36:18 I was just going to say that you you became the resource that people look to. Evan Katz  36:24 Yeah, and and so you take your professional training and you begin to develop some of those personal skills. And how do you relate to people? How do you gather information? How do you recover from from your mistakes? How do you make sure you have enough successes so that you got a good success to mistake ratio? But it's it it is very scary. I mean, I was what how old in 1986? So I was 30 years old, and it never. And I wanted to work in a small town, and I did, but it was a real, real eye-opening experience. But by the same token, you know, one of our biggest fears-you're the only person. One of the greatest attributes to the situation was you're immersed in everything. You learn everything. You learn about the police department, the fire department, which was a call department at that time. You know, if there was a fire, all the firemen, there might have been a couple of women as well, went to some went to the station to get the truck, and some drove in their cars to the scene of the fire, and and and you get a small town with one police officer on duty, you know, from from 11 to seven, you got a water department with two employees. You really get a feel for what's important and what isn't, and how do you make the system go, and what do you do in an emergency, and how do you plan for the future? And so it was it was it was frightening at one level because you're on your own and you're learning a brand new thing, but at the same time you're immersing yourself so deeply, and you're learning so much that that that that you're growing, you know, professionally and personally at a very very fast rate. Michael Hingson  38:16 And although you may or may not realize it at the time, those fears that that you started with slowly would be dissolving away because you were learning how to deal with things, and you were discovering that you had the ability to deal with things, and so you became less afraid in a positive way. Evan Katz  38:37 Right. Well, you know, you all know that the cycles in in businesses and cities and towns, and it's all in an annual cycle, the budget cycle, and you know you get through the first year and you start doing it again, and you're doing it again, and you really then you begin to expand your knowledge base. You're willing to to to experiment a little bit more, and and you're growing again at a very fast rate because you're able to do more and more that you weren't able to do when you first got there. Michael Hingson  39:10 Did you ever run for any office? Evan Katz  39:13 Actually, I did. When I left Groton, I finance was my area of interest, as as I mentioned earlier. I was hired by the city of Medford, which is just north of Boston, up Route 93, probably I don't maybe 810 miles north. And when I was working there, I was the city's finance director. You talk about culture shock, so I go from the small town of Groton with seven people to a to a 50,000 the city of 50,000 with a with a palatial city hall right off Route 93 and but I was chosen for because of my background in finance. And when I was working there, I decided that the town of Groton might benefit from my experience as an elected official. So I was working in Medford as finance director, and I ran for assessor in Groton to get started. Elected assessors to value properties and administered the taxes, and then ultimately I ran for select board a couple years after that. Michael Hingson  40:27 Were you elected? Evan Katz  40:29 I did. Yeah, I won. Okay. And here's another thing that I learned. You know, I haven't always seen elected boards, whether it was the select board or city councils or legislators, you see elected officials in action at meetings and talking about problems and making phone calls, but you forget there's a lot of other work that goes on behind the scenes when you're at home at night and when you run into somebody on the street. And so I was I was very prepared for the for the technical aspects of it, the problem solving, but I forgot about the time that it takes when people call you or have a have a have a problem with a nearby dog, or someone put up a fence, or the traffic on my street is going too fast. You have to call people. You got to follow up. You got to again. Back in the old days, it's all by telephone. So the amount of time that it took to resolve problems and have meetings, I forgot about the the the extra time that it takes when you're an elected official to do that behind the scenes stuff. But but I enjoy doing that as well. Michael Hingson  41:41 Yeah, I'll bet. And you know, it it is just it it you figure out that that's part of what you have to do. And again, I think the big issue is in figuring all that out is learning to recognize that's part of what you have to do, and accepting that that's definitely part of the job, and not trying to blow it off, not trying to get angry at people, which all too often happens today, I think more than it than it needs to. But it is part of the job. It's all part of the job, and no matter what, that hasn't really changed. Evan Katz  42:19 And I think it's I think it's in any job, and I think people have perceptions about certain types of jobs, whether it's you're you're you're a plumber, a truck driver, a lawyer. You know, people understand the responsibilities at the surface level and the visible level, but they're they're not as aware of what goes on behind the scenes, what it takes to to get things going, and and I think that's probably not and maybe underappreciated in some situations about what it takes to to to do things behind the scenes that are not as exciting, where there's more drudgery, and and and the amount of time that it takes to get you into the seat of the truck, to get you to have a meeting with clients, if you're some kind of professional, if you're a doctor, there's there's there's a lot more to any job, and I think that that that it's important to recognize it for ourselves. You know, it's not just the let's call it the glamorous part of the job. Michael Hingson  43:29 Yeah, Evan Katz  43:30 there's the behind the scenes part of the job, and the same goes for all jobs. And I think it's important to remember that. Michael Hingson  43:36 I agree. Well, you did all this work, and you kept doing it for quite a while. So, what got you into baseball, other than being a fan? But you know, Evan Katz  43:46 well, loyal Red Sox fan, been to Fenway hundreds of times, as I mentioned earlier. Was started school a year early, so I never played sports, and my kids in my 40s had finished little league, and they were all done with their sports careers at that point. And I decided I wanted to play baseball at age 45. Michael Hingson  44:14 There you go. I had Evan Katz  44:15 never played. I had never played little league. I never played high school. Never played college. And at age 45, a friend of mine who I grew up with in Brookline, he encouraged me to go to a baseball camp in Florida in 2002, and at that point, my my interest in baseball and my fandom in baseball expanded to becoming a a player and having to learn about the game as a player, not just as someone watching the game. Michael Hingson  44:47 And what did your wife think of that? Evan Katz  44:49 Well, my my wife will mention that my my wife Liz, our first date was on march 30, 2002, and that was the date. Of my first baseball practice in Massachusetts, so she has been there from the beginning of my baseball career. And if it wasn't for her one acceptance of it and her support of it, I never would have been able to achieve and enjoy all that all that I have, but she she is is is my biggest fan and supporter. Michael Hingson  45:29 That's great. She's a Red Sox fan, I would presume. Evan Katz  45:33 Yeah, Red Sox fan. Yep, and you know we watched them clinch it in 2004. We've been to Fenway together, and you know she, you know, like I played adult baseball, and and you know the when guys join, their spouses or girlfriends come the first for a bunch of games in the beginning, but then they just lose interest. Understandably, it's you know it's old man baseball. It's not like it is on TV. She she comes from time to time, but but she she's got her own life to live now. So that's okay. Michael Hingson  46:05 Well, so so tell me how baseball progressed for you. So you you started working at playing. Evan Katz  46:15 Yeah. So I went to this baseball camp in Florida, which I actually just came back from. It's called the Ponstellion Baseball Camp, and it's from a league in Washington, and they started going down for a week of what they call spring training. Well, for Washington, baseball starts a little earlier, Washington D.C. So we go down the end of January, and you know, getting on the field isn't too far away as long as there's no snow on the ground in the DC metro area. But I started going to that camp in 2002, and there was a group of professional coaches at this camp who were major league and minor league affiliated, and they have been coming to this camp since the beginning. This is now 2026. They've been going to the camp as long as as the longtime players, and so what happened was, you know, I was playing adult baseball, and there was a year where it rained a lot, and we had games postponed, and I'm driving around Fort Myers, and I think I was 60 years old at the time, so this would be 2016. And I said to myself, you know, what would be the chances that I could find a minor league team that would let me play, so I could live my dream of being a professional baseball player? And I grew up around in Brookline. I collected baseball cards. I played imaginary baseball games in my yard. Played wiffle ball with my friends. Watched the Red Sox on TV. You know, it's been in my blood since I was a little kid. And of course, many little kids want to be professional basketball players, hockey players, football players. Well, for me, it was baseball. So here I am, 60 years old, and I asked a couple of people at the camp. One of them was Stan Clyburn, played for the Angels in the 80s, and he's managed in the minor leagues for 1000s of games. He's still managing to this day. And Steve Little, who was a coach at the time with the Twins, I asked them, "Do you think I could find a minor league team that would allow me to play for them, so I could live my dream, play professional baseball? And they said, "Sure. Oh yeah, you you should give it a shot. And they gave me a couple names. Ultimately, it took me a year and a half, and I found the Pecos League, which is a low level of independent baseball. I got a hold of the commissioner. His name is Andrew Dunn, and I called him up in March. It turned out this would be March of 2017. I went out to my car at a lunch break from school. I had his phone number, and he answers the phone, "Hello, baseball. And I explain the situation, and he said, "You want to get in a game? We'll get you in a game. And that was that was in 2017. Michael Hingson  49:15 Wow! Evan Katz  49:16 And way it the way it turned out, he invited me out to play for the White Sands Pupfish the last weekend of the season, it had to be with teams that it wouldn't affect the playoffs. And I went out to White Sands, New Mexico, White Sands National Park is there. Alamogordo and the the White Sands Pupfish. I I pitched to two batters, walked one and hit one. I had one plate appearance and was called out on strikes. Didn't lift the bat off my shoulder. Too much fear, as I look back on it. But I became a professional baseball player at age 61. Michael Hingson  49:57 Well, so you got to live your dream. Evan Katz  50:00 Yep, Michael Hingson  50:00 and so after you pitched, what did you do? Evan Katz  50:04 Well, it was all very exciting, and I I actually was interviewed by Bill Littlefield on the NPR radio show Only a Game, talking about playing baseball at age 61, and my friends thought it was really neat and cool, and I had some pictures made, and I gave a lot of graph pictures to Stan Clyburn and Steve Little to thank them for inspiration, and it was all fun. But you know, in baseball, if you're a pitcher and you give up a run without getting anybody anybody out, you have an ERA, which is an earned run average. How many runs you give up in nine innings? Michael Hingson  50:43 Right. Evan Katz  50:43 I had an ERA of infinity. I'm in baseball reference with all these big known baseball players. I'm there with my my my stat line with an ERA of INF infinity, and I'm 65 years old, and I'm saying, man, I don't want to have an ERA of infinity. I don't want to retire with an ERA of infinity, so I got a hold of of Andrew Dunn again, and I said, Andrew, can I come out and pitch again? I want to get my ERA below infinity. I want to get somebody out. So it turns out in 2023, he assigned me to pitch for the Austin weirdos keep Austin weird, right? Keep Portland weird. Keep Burlington weird. You know, keep but whatever weird city you know they have their slogans of keeping the city weird. So Austin weirdos. And the interesting thing was that the weirdos that year in 2023, they had a home field in Austin, but it got burned out. They didn't they didn't have enough water, so they lost their home field. They turned into an all road team, and no player likes to drive through the Pecos League through the desert Southwest from Texas to Arizona, Michael Hingson  52:00 right Evan Katz  52:01 up to Kansas and Colorado for weeks on end. I get to the end of the season, the last weekend of the season in Alpine, Texas, to play the Alpine Cowboys, of course, in Texas, and the Austin Weirdos only have 11 players, and I can pitch. It's a Friday night, and there's a doubleheader on Saturday, and the manager decides, well, we got a guy here who hasn't pitched recently. He should start the game on Friday night. I get a text from the manager in the middle of the day. Evan, you're starting tonight, Derek Dominguez. Talk about no fear. Yeah, starting a 67-year-old pitcher against a lineup of 20-year, 25-year-olds, and I I started against the Alpine Cowboys, and talk about managing your fear. They have it's an old baseball stadium was built in the 1940s. It's got a grandstand behind home plate. You know, a couple things happen there. First of all, I get to the park early because the team was driving. They had to drive. This is the amazing thing. 1111, players. They had to drive 700 miles from the night before from Blackwell, Oklahoma, to Alpine. Michael Hingson  53:20 Wow. Evan Katz  53:22 The catcher comes in the dugout. Wonderful young man. You know, pitchers always worry who is going to catch them. Who's my catcher? And I'm in the dugout waiting, and a young man comes up to me, and he knows who I am, and he says, "I'm Marcus Bracy, and I'm catching you tonight. And the way he said that to me made me feel like he was going to take care of me, and we warmed up. I didn't have any fear. And one thing I did though, when I went out to the mound in the bottom of the first inning, and every inning after that, I made it to the fifth. By the way, I never looked up into the stands. I never wanted to see the crowd. I wanted to keep my eyes focused on this catcher, and that is what helped me get through. And I gave up two runs an inning into the fifth inning. And the interesting thing was that that that was about the team's average. The earned run average for the Austin Weirdos that year was 18 because they had lost so many players, they didn't have many pitchers, and I ended up for that game with an ERA of about 18. So I pitched the same as all the 25-year-old pitchers that pitched for Austin that year. Michael Hingson  54:39 There you go. That certainly is. That certainly is pretty cool. So, what year was that? Evan Katz  54:48 That was 2023. Michael Hingson  54:49 Okay. So, what's happened since? Evan Katz  54:52 Well, I was so taken by the Pecos League and some of the players there, and I had been coaching high school for three years. You know, I had. I had coached at Manchester Essex High School, just north of Boston. I had coached the pitchers and the catchers there. We won the state championship in 2022, and yeah, I saw I'd done a little bit of coaching. And I knew the Pecos League didn't have a lot of money. It didn't pay the players anything hardly. Players make less than $1,000 for most of the teams, and many of the coaches are volunteer coaches. And I asked one of the players; his name was Alex Westman, really nice, nice fellow. I met him for breakfast actually in the fall after the season. I was out visiting my my son in Arkansas. Met him in Missouri for breakfast, and I said, think, think the Pecos League could use a coach like me, and Alex is always an upbeat guy. And unfortunately, Alex was passed away a couple years ago in a tragic motorcycle accident. But I'll always be thankful for Alex for him saying to me, "Oh yeah, you should coach. So I got a hold of the commissioner. I I did coach for a few games for Roswell in 2024, but my mother-in-law took ill, and I had to come home. So last season I ended up teaming up with Todd Everleth, the manager of the North Platte '80s, who I had connected with during 2024 and introduced him to the league. He managed in North Platte, and I asked Todd if he could use a coach, and Todd invited me out to North Platte, Nebraska. And last summer, I was the bullpen coach. One of the hardest things I've ever done, if not the hardest, going from high school coaching to professional coaching at age 69, but somehow it was successful. I helped the pitchers. We ended up going to the the second round of the playoffs. We had a couple of guys called up to higher level leagues, and and it was a success. But but it was again one of the hardest things I've ever done, but at the same time, one of the most rewarding. Michael Hingson  57:04 That's pretty cool. You you did you did so much of that. So you also you've been coaching. So you've been coaching a fair amount over the last few years. You said I think at one point, you were the worst coach in 2025. Evan Katz  57:23 Oh right, not not the worst, close, the least qualified. Oh, the Michael Hingson  57:28 least qualified. Okay, right. Yeah, this is a good story. Evan Katz  57:31 So, so, so Todd and I, you know, Todd Everleth, we're driving his truck around the Midwest. I don't know, it's probably the second second or third road trip, but I'm I'm sitting there, and I'm really beginning to understand the credentials, my new Todd's credentials, and the credentials of the other coaches in in in the Pecos League, which, as I mentioned, is the lowest level of independent baseball. It's not connected to Major League Baseball, and I'm thinking to myself, there's got to be 1000s and 1000s of coaches in professional baseball, major leagues, minor leagues, other independent leagues. Here I am. I'm a coach in the Pecos League. I I have three years of high school coaching experience. I have got to be the least qualified coach in professional baseball. So I said, Todd, I think I'm the least qualified coach in professional baseball, and he he got a real kick out of that. Michael Hingson  58:30 Well, so the real question is, what's going to happen this year? What are you doing now? Evan Katz  58:35 Well, this year, you know, I I am definitely retiring from coaching, as I mentioned, you know, at my age, 69, coaching in professional baseball, you know, your your days start early. They go till late at night. You're traveling a lot in the Pecos League. We drove our own cars, so we drove over 7000 miles last summer. Michael Hingson  58:57 Wow! Evan Katz  58:57 And that that was on top of driving out to Nebraska and coming home, so over 10,000 miles over the course of the summer, way way too demanding. So, but what I'm what I'm doing, Michael, is I think that that I really have some some lessons to share and some experiences to share. And as I as I joked with Todd and some of the other players, the the pitchers out in the bullpen. We were sitting out in the bullpen one night, and the pitchers knew that I wasn't didn't have a lot of experience. And once we all got used to each other, we had a really good time out there. And I'd said to them, I said, I think I'm going to write a book, and the book is going to be the least qualified coach in professional baseball, a survival guide, basically telling the story of how somebody with the least credentials of all the professional coaches was able to figure out how to cope with the challenges and ultimately support the pitching staff. And contribute to the teams going 27 wins and 21 losses, making it the second round of the playoffs, and having players called up to higher level leagues. I think there's some lessons there to share to inspire other people, and so that that's my plan. I'm hoping to do a little bit of motivational speaking. I'm planning to write a book and tell the story of the least qualified coach in professional baseball. Michael Hingson  1:00:28 But you brought a lot of life experience to coaching. Evan Katz  1:00:31 Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, this is one of the things I had to figure out. I knew my technical background was limited, so I had to figure out how can I support these players, how can I be available, and I figured out where to where to sit in the bullpen, so I could listen to their conversations and chime in when needed, and still see what's going on in the game, where to where to be in the outfield during batting practice to have casual conversations, and then I also-I don't think I mentioned this earlier-I had a podcast that I did, and so the podcast, which had a weekly episode and a guest from the Pecos League, I was always looking for stories from the team to interject into the podcast, and that was a great conversation starter. I also took a lot of pictures of the players, candid shots that they would never have been able to take on their own, and then also provide some baseball lessons along the way. You know, there was one pitcher who was very dissatisfied with his outing one night. He said, "I didn't, I don't, I didn't strike out as many guys as I wanted, or I gave up too many runs. And I said, "You left the game when we were ahead here in the Pecos League, where the team score a lot of runs. It's not the absolute results; it's the relative results. Yeah, you did your job. You left the game with the '80s in the lead, and you did great. So I figured out ways to support these guys because they had their own challenges, being away from college, being away from home. Try to figure out how I could support them to bring out their best. Michael Hingson  1:02:12 What a great story, and what a a great insightful thing you said to that pitcher. Well, if people want to reach out to you, how can they do that? Evan Katz  1:02:21 Well, I have a website called Baseball by the Sea Media, where I have some of my writing that I talked about. I've done some baseball biographies and some baseball game stories and some exclusive stories. Baseball by the Sea Media. I'm also on LinkedIn. Those are probably the two easiest ways to find me. Michael Hingson  1:02:44 How do they find you on LinkedIn? Evan Katz  1:02:46 Evan Katz, just I don't think least qualified as a search parameter on LinkedIn. No, it's probably blocked. So, Michael Hingson  1:02:55 so Evan Katz is spelled Evan Katz  1:02:57 E V A N K A T Z. Michael Hingson  1:03:00 So there you go. Well, I want to tell you that when that book comes out, we have to to do another one of these because I want to really have a chance to feature the book and all that. So keep us posted. Evan Katz  1:03:13 Absolutely, I'm I'm I'm looking forward to to working on it, Michael. And I appreciate you having me on today. Michael Hingson  1:03:18 Well, I want to thank you, and I want to thank all of you for watching and listening, and I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at speaker at michaelhinkson m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com. Love it if you'd give us a five star rating, but more important than a rating, please give us a great review. Review the podcast and say nice things about Evan. That's a that's a beautiful thing to do. If anyone knows anyone who ought to be a guest on our podcast, Evan, including you, feel free to introduce us. We're always looking for people to come on and tell their stories. But for now, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank you for spending an hour with us and and making it a very enjoyable and an unstoppable day. Evan Katz  1:04:03 Absolutely, Michael, it's my pleasure. Michael Hingson  1:04:08 Thank you for being here with me on Unstoppable Mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about. If you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others, I have a free gift for you. Head over to michaelhingson.com and download my free ebook, Blinded by Fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward. Together, thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset.

- The Lindsay Clancy trial moves toward closing arguments as her defense calls its final witness and a fundraiser for her family surpasses $1 million amid continued public support outside the courthouse. - New filings in the Karmelo Anthony case reveal prosecutors possessed past messages describing violence, weapons and threats that were excluded from his original murder trial as a possible retrial looms. - Federal authorities arrest Jessica Bowie over an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to bomb the New York State Capitol using explosives concealed inside a food-delivery bag. - Seth Moulton and Ed Markey battle over abolishing ICE and transgender participation in girls' sports as their Massachusetts Senate primary enters its final stretch. - Donald Trump and former attorney Michael Cohen reunite for a surprisingly cordial interview as Cohen discusses how prosecutors pressured him during their years-long legal war. Today's podcast is sponsored by : PARAMOUNT PLUS - Don't Miss “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lioness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” - all episodes NOW STREAMING on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paramount Plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can now WATCH and chat with The Gerry Callahan Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble)  Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:              • Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • TRUTH Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • GETTR: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • Telegram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠               • BlueSky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Parler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. can 'grow' its way out of a $40 trillion national debt, a number that was reached this week; Secretary Bessent also says he will hold a news conference Monday to outline new sanctions against Iran. He calls them the 'toughest sanctions in history' that will 'collapse this regime.' That follows President Donald Trump's post declaring Economic D-Day against Iran for failing to take the many chances he has given them to make a deal to give up any pursuit of a nuclear weapon; A woman has been charged with providing support to the terror group ISIS after allegedly asking for help to make explosives to attack the New York State Capitol building in Albany; Final Massachusetts U.S. Senate Democratic primary debate tonight between Sen. Ed Markey and challenger Congressman Seth Moulton. We will talk about the race with Boston Globe politics reporter Samantha Gross (28); Democratic Party narrows its list of cities vying to host the 2028 DNC Convention to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia; First Lady Melania Trump announces a $2 million donation from Penske's IndyCar and Fox Corp. to her initiative to help children and youth transition successfully out of the foster care system, ahead of this weekend's Freedom 250 IndyCar street race in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ralph speaks to Baroness Beeban Kidron, a member of the UK House of Lords and a leading voice on children's rights in the digital environment, whose book is “Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back.” Then we welcome back whistleblower Becky McClain a biotech scientist injured in an unsafe lab and author of “Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.”Baroness Beeban Kidron is a member of the UK's House of Lords and a former film director. She is a leading voice on children's rights in the digital environment and a global authority on digital regulation. She has played a central role in establishing standards for online safety and privacy across the world. She is the author of Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back.The things that children experience online are deliberately designed to distract them. Now, they are there to distract them because those companies want the attention so they can advertise. They want their data so that they can perfect their commercial terms,their product. And they even want their attention to compete against the other people who are competing for their attention. So here we have an absolute arms race for a child's attention.Baroness Beeban KidronI do want to say very clearly to anyone listening: This is a battle you shouldn't be fighting on your own. And there is a responsibility for politicians—for both local politicians and federal politicians (national in our case, here in the UK) —to actually put these companies under the same sort of strictures that all other corporate companies do… One of the things I'm looking at is whether we can recategorize apps as products. And then they'll have all the product liability, the product safety, consumer rights—all the things that we expect of everything else in our life from our food to our cars to our toys. That they would actually have to think before they roll them out: Are they safe? And when they've proven unsafe, we would have a very clear set of legal approaches to address that.Baroness Beeban KidronBecky McClain is a retired biotech worker and research scientist. She is known as the first successful biotech whistleblower who spoke and reported on biolab safety issues of public concern. On April 1, 2010, Ms. McClain won a federal court whistleblower trial against Pfizer, Inc., which centered on free speech rights concerning biosafety and public health. She is the author of Exposed: A Pfizer Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.The public wants transparency to ensure that biolabs are run ethically, safely, responsibly, and with accountability. Transparency into these matters builds public trust with science and with government. But without free-speech protections for scientists and also medical physicians, transparency fails, accountability is dismissed, and the public trust hits rock bottom.Becky McClainNews 8/14/26* This week, a new round of primaries was held in the upper midwest and New England. The biggest shock of the night was the defeat of Francesca Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary. Hong, a Wisconsin State Assemblywoman and member of Madison DSA, went into election night leading in the polls and while she won an astonishing 311,000 votes, her opponent – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, with the endorsement of sitting Democratic Governor Tony Evers – maintained a lead of approximately one-half of one percentage point throughout the night. As the final margin will be under 1 percent, Hong is entitled to request a recount, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but WKOW reports she has conceded the race. Hong was seen as the best chance for the insurgent, DSA-aligned left to capture a gubernatorial nomination this cycle, particularly in a crucial swing state, but her campaign was dogged by electability concerns and unpopular past statements made by the candidate. Crowley will face Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, who cruised to an easy victory in the GOP gubernatorial primary, in November.* The Minnesota primaries delivered more encouraging results for the left. In the high-profile Senate primary to replace retiring Senator Tina Smith, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan emerged victorious over her opponent, Congresswoman Angie Craig. Flanagan was backed by a broad, progressive coalition – including Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and outgoing Senator Tina Smith herself – while Craig was backed by more centrist Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and ultrazionist Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer. If elected, Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, would be the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, per the Minnesota Reformer. Flanagan has also gone on record saying that Chuck Schumer, who would be poised to lead the Senate Democrats as Majority Leader if the party retakes that chamber, needs to be replaced with a “progressive champion” though she has not gone as far as Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan who explicitly called for Schumer to be replaced by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, as reported by Semafor.* In more Minnesota news, Congresswoman Craig's decision to vacate her old seat in the state's second congressional district “created a crowded primary for her seat,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. On Tuesday, progressive candidate Matt Little triumphed. Little is a strong proponent of Medicare for All and does not blanch at describing Israel's campaign in Gaza as a genocide. Little overwhelmingly won the endorsement of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and of congressional progressives like Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Greg Casar, as well as the Progressive Caucus PAC. If Little wins in what the Star Tribune describes as a swing district historically, it will send a strong signal that progressives can win even in tough districts.* In New England, the results tell a somewhat different story. Specifically, in Connecticut's first congressional district, 14-term incumbent Congressman John Larson lost his primary to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, over 30 years Larson's junior, by over 20 points. However, Bronin is far from a progressive challenger. Whereas Larson enjoyed the backing of the Working Families Party and Congressman Jamie Raskin – though he also had the backing of AIPAC – Bronin's only major national endorsement was from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In short, this would best be described as a non-ideological, but rather age-based primary challenge. This will surely set off major alarm bells for another aged incumbent in New England facing a much younger primary challenger: Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Additionally, as Ryan Grim notes, “John Larson was/is the champion of the bill to expand Social Security, which was up to…200+ cosponsors but [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi would never allow it to get to the floor. There's now an extremely popular bill that could actually pass that needs a lead sponsor.”* Another recent primary loss is worth examining: that of Kshama Sawant in Seattle. Sawant, a former Seattle City Councilmember aligned with the Trotskyist Socialist Alternative party, resigned her council seat and sought to unseat her local Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, running as an independent in Washington's ninth congressional district. The state of Washington has a top two primary system, so Sawant would have only had to get the second most votes to secure a head-to-head matchup against Smith in November. Yet, instead Sawant finished a distant third behind Smith and the Republican candidate Doug Basler. Perhaps that doesn't seem surprising – independent and third party candidates are often outspent by huge margins. Yet, the facts belie that explanation. In fact, a new piece on the Joe Wrote substack finds that “Sawant's campaign wasn't the rag-tag, bootstrapped operation that we typically see from insurgent socialists. Sawant reported $607,493 in campaign spending, meaning she outspent Republican Doug Basler by over six-to-one and still lost to him.” Wrote goes on to state that “The Sawant campaign spent $25.33 per vote, the highest for any candidate in the race…The only registered PAC that spent on the race was Sawant's Revolutionary Change PAC, which raised $5,600 through ActBlue and spent it on billboards.” If nothing else, this test case demonstrates that money is not enough for the left to break through the two-party duopoly. A candidate also needs institutional, organizational support – like that of DSA – and, perhaps most importantly, broadbase solidarity with the other component parts of the movement. Going it alone simply will not get the job done.* In more independent and third party news, we have an update to a previous story about the race for Congress in Pennsylvania's seventh congressional district. Last week, we discussed Andrew Tupone, a candidate running in this race on the Green Party ballot line, despite the GP of Pennsylvania distancing themselves from him – and spokesman Chris Robinson even calling him a “a nice Republican.” According to Lehigh Valley Public Media, the Green Party is now going a step further, formally requesting the Pennsylvania courts “either kick Tupone off the ballot or require him to identify himself as a member of another party.” In their petition to the court, the Green Party argues that “Candidate Tupone and his agents or affiliates who circulated his nomination papers misled voters into signing the nomination papers on the mistaken belief that they were helping to place a candidate supported by the Green Party onto the ballot.” This piece also notes that three Lehigh Valley residents are challenging the petitions Tupone presented to get on the ballot, arguing that technical errors would disqualify thousands of these signatures. For his part, Tupone “has denied having any ulterior motive to enter the race or accepting financial assistance from any outside groups.”* At the same time, in Nebraska, it seems there are two, dueling faux third parties seeking to siphon off votes from the other side. The Nebraska Examiner reports that both the “Nebraska Democratic Party and the national Working Families Party have sued Nebraska's Working People Party to block it from the fall ballot.” The Democrats and WFP are seeking to block Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen from officially recognizing the party, and to “declare that the party's name is breaking state law because it is meant to confuse voters.” Apparently, Nebraska election law includes a provision allowing the secretary of state to “reject a candidate's filing if…that someone is not a ‘good-faith candidate' or is trying to cause confusion for voters,” and that “objections to party names can be considered.” The kicker is that last week, the Nebraska Republican Party filed a lawsuit alleging that the “America First Party” is a similarly bad-faith attempt to confuse and deceive voters and thereby undercut the fortunes of Nebraska Republicans. A Nebraska judge has issued an emergency injunction stopping certification of both the Nebraska Working People Party and America First Party through August 20th.* Turning to local news, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appears to be moving against Councilmember Nithya Raman, her Democratic rival for the mayoralty in the general election. LAist reports that while Raman has chaired the Council's powerful Housing and Homeless Committee since 2023, Bass' close ally, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson is “planning to announce…that the city will split the committee into two parts — one on housing, the other on homelessness — neither of which will be led by Raman.” In a campaign video, Raman alleged that the move constituted political retaliation, saying “I called for an audit of our homelessness programs…and now I've been removed…I might be getting punished for running against Mayor Bass, but Angelenos are the ones paying the price for these political games.” Mayor Bass and Councilmember Raman finished first and second respectively in the June primary, meaning they will face off in November with no Republican on the ballot.* In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced this week that he will throw his weight behind a new bill in the city council seeking to curb Amazon's practice of utilizing subcontractors instead of directly employing delivery workers. The Wall Street Journal explains that although these subcontractors “aren't direct employees of…Amazon [or other companies], they often wear branded uniforms or vests and drive corporate-branded vans or trucks,” but are not entitled to the same workplace protections and are excluded from collective bargaining. In a statement, Mamdani highlighted how “Corporations like Amazon build billion-dollar business models by insulating themselves from accountability through a system of exploitative subcontracting.” The Journal reports the bill would also “require warehouse operators to obtain licenses from the city,” and in order to get a license, ”operators would have to adhere to new safety, training and employment requirements, including hiring thousands of the city's contract couriers.” In response, Amazon is, as usual, threatening to move its business out of the city, but also deploying its secret, New York-specific weapon: their chief lobbyist, Jessica Schumer, daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to the American Prospect. This sets up a major clash between an array of titanic forces in New York politics and whether or not Mayor Mamdani emerges triumphant will be a huge test of his political clout.* Finally, AP reports the parliament of Lebanon voted this week to abolish the death penalty, making it the first nation in the Arab world to do so. This piece notes that the country has maintained an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment for over 20 years; while death sentences have been issued since then, they have all been suspended or commuted. The official sentence of capital punishment will be replaced with “life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor,” a somewhat vague legal concept that will have to be defined and refined as time goes on. AP adds that this vote comes amidst the Lebanese parliamentary debate over a proposed general amnesty law, that could “reduce sentences or even release convicted militants,” from the country's various civil wars, as well as others convicted of drug-related crimes. The parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah voted against the law. Lebanon banning capital punishment stands in stark contrast to the Israeli Knesset, which voted in May to adopt a new death penalty statute described by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as perpetuating “racial discrimination against Palestinians” and amounting to “a grave erosion of human rights.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe