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In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, former Vice President Dick Cheney, a force in Republican politics for over 30 years and one of the most powerful people to hold the second-highest office in the U.S., died Tuesday. He was 84. In a statement, Cheney's family said he died Monday night of complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, surrounded by his wife of 61 years, Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary and other family members. Before becoming vice president in the George W. Bush administration, Cheney served as defense secretary, White House chief of staff and a Wyoming congressman. Also Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced airspace restrictions Wednesday as the ongoing federal government shutdown continues to affect the nation's transportation system, some Democratic senators may be getting on board to help open the Government and the President's "nuclear option". For more talk on the issues that matter to you, listen on radio stations across America Monday-Friday 12am-5am CT (1am-6am ET and 10pm-3am PT), download the RED EYE RADIO SHOW app, asking your smart speaker, or listening at RedEyeRadioShow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cựu Phó Tổng thống Hoa Kỳ Dick Cheney đã qua đời ở tuổi 84, do các biến chứng liên quan đến viêm phổi và bệnh tim mạch. Ông Cheney trở thành một trong những phó tổng thống quyền lực nhất trong lịch sử Hoa Kỳ, với tư cách là cánh tay phải của George W. Bush, trong sự kiện 11/9 và các cuộc chiến ở Afghanistan và Iraq.
Arch-war criminal and former Vice-President Dick Cheney has died. A consummate DC insider who was White House Chief-of-Staff, Defense Secretary, CEO of Halliburton, and Vice President, he shaped and reshaped the GOP and the conservative movement. Responsible for the Global War on Terror and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, he promoted the invasion of Iraq based on blatant lies. Brown University estimated over 4.5 million people died in the post-9/11 forever wars. He also changed government policy on "enhanced interrogation" (i.e. torture) and mass surveillance. And despite his redemption by liberals in recent years because of his opposition to Donald Trump, his politics and polities paved the way for Trump. In this episode, we discuss Dick Cheney, Trump and fanboy liberals redeeming Cheney. Today, we don't mourn Dick Cheney, only his victims. ----------------------------
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia went to the polls yesterday to elect their next governor, while in New York City, residents decided who would be the next mayor of America's largest city. In all three key elections, the Democratic candidate won. In New York City, self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani is the new mayoral elect, sparking significant reaction across the country. Republican Strategist and founding partner at South and Hill Strategies, Colin Reed, joined the Rundown to break down last night's results and what they could mean heading into the 2026 Midterm Elections next year. Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a decades-long public career as a White House Chief of Staff, Republican Congressman, Defense Secretary, White House chief, and one of the most powerful American Vice Presidents ever, has died at age 84. Fox News contributor and former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, reflects on the life and legacy of Vice President Cheney and how they became friends working together in the Bush administration. Plus, Commentary from FOX News Digital columnist David Marcus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dick Cheney has been called the most powerful vice-president in US history, as well as the chief architect of America's so-called ‘war on terror', and a war criminal. We hear from a former colleague, and from an Iraqi poet. Also in the programme: evidence that the earliest humans passed technology tips down the generations for more than 300,000 years; and as Paris offers the chance to buy prime spots in its most historic cemeteries, we ask what makes them so beguiling?(IMAGE: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (L) listens as President George W. Bush makes remarks about the U.S. defense budget after meeting with military leaders at the Pentagon in Washington, November 29, 2007 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Larry Downing)
It's Wednesday, November 5th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Vulnerable Asian and African girls kidnapped, abused, converted to Islam Christian women and girls are easy targets for persecution in South Asian and African nations. Last Tuesday, a panel at the World Evangelical Alliance's 14th General Assembly shared details. For example, girls in Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are often kidnapped, abused, and forced to convert to Islam. Even if they escape, they often face rejection after returning to their families, communities, or churches. The panel called for better care for the women and girls subjected to such persecution. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Finnish stateswoman on trial again for affirming Biblical sexuality Speaking of persecuted women, a Christian woman in Finland is on trial for posting online about her biblical views on marriage and sexuality. Last Thursday, the country's Supreme Court heard the case of Päivi Räsänen, a 65-year-old Finnish Member of Parliament. The state prosecution of her religious expression continues despite lower courts clearing her of wrongdoing. Listen to her recent comments to CitizenGo. RÄSÄNEN: “This has been my calling. This has been some kind of privilege, to defend these very crucial values, to defend the freedom of speech and freedom of faith, because that is what we need just now. And also to bring the teachings of the Bible in public.” Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola is also on trial in the case. He said, “I think it is important that Christians continue to be able to defend Christian marriage and the Christian view of humanity without fear.” In 2 Thessalonians 1:8, the Apostle Paul wrote “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the Gospel according to the power of God.” 40 Days for Life has saved 25,000 babies from abortion 40 Days for Life completed its latest campaign on Sunday. Pro-lifers mobilized for vigils in 671 cities worldwide for the last 40 days. Shawn Carney, president of the pro-life group, said, “Thanks to your prayers and God's generosity, we continue to receive reports of babies who were scheduled to be aborted--but are instead alive and well!” In some cities, vigils are continuing year-round through the 40 Days for Life 365 initiative. Since 2007, 40 Days for Life has saved over 25,000 babies from abortion. Former Vice President Dick Cheney died In the United States, former Vice President Dick Cheney died on Monday at the age of 84. His family said in a statement that he died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. The statement noted, “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing.” Sadly, Cheney supported homosexual faux marriage because his daughter, Mary Cheney, married her lesbian lover, Heather Poe. Cheney was known as one of the most influential vice presidents in U.S. history. He served as vice president under both terms of President George W. Bush. He was a key yet controversial leader in the “War on Terror” following the 9/11 terrorists attacks. Cheney was a member of the United Methodist Church. He was also the first Methodist vice president to serve under a Methodist president. U.S. Episcopal Church shrinking for anti-Biblical stances The U.S. Episcopal Church released its 2024 Parochial Report last month. And it's not good news. Not surprisingly, the mainline Protestant denomination reported fewer baptisms and a drop in the total number of parishes -- no doubt the result of the Episcopal Church's rejection of Biblical authority and an embrace of sodomy and baby killing through abortion. Worship attendance did increase last year, but is still down compared to a decade ago. At its rate of decline, the denomination could have no Sunday attendance in 30 years. Deuteronomy 4:2 warns, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Slight decrease in U.S. obesity rate And finally, Gallup reports obesity rates are declining in the U.S. The adult obesity rate stands at 37% this year. That's down from a high of 39.9% in 2022 but up from 25.5% in 2008. While obesity rates have declined recently, diagnoses of diabetes have reached an all-time high of 13.8%. That's up slightly from 10.6% in 2008. The use of weight loss injectable drugs has risen sharply over the past year. The popularity of these weight loss drugs is connected with lower obesity rates but has not lessened the rate of diabetes diagnoses. Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, November 5th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Lily Allen's viral new album, West End Girl, digs deep. It catalogs the unraveling of her marriage and the deeper pain that lives between the lines of her lyrical prose. This isn't tabloid fodder—it's what Pitchfork called her most “brutally candid” work, a rare space where a woman can hold an abuser, a system, and her own art in the same frame.While Allen insists the record is “fictionalized,” it's unmistakably laced with real life—even with the unavoidable layer of my own parasocial projection. The title track name-drops the couple's designer—“Found ourselves a good mortgage / Billy Cotton got sorted”—a pointed nod to their now-infamous Architectural Digest home tour, which, in hindsight, aged about as gracefully as Harbour's opening “bit,” greeting the camera crew like a mistress at the door. (Iconic, for all the wrong reasons…and very worth the watch. Psst. All relevant links are down at the bottom!)With almost no pre-launch marketing, the album shot up the charts, hailed by Variety, The New Yorker, and countless fans as her best work yet. (Personally, I've been devoted since her early-2000s protest anthem “Fuck You,” written about George W. Bush.) Still, West End Girl took over my social feed overnight. Yours too, maybe? This is because it touches something deeper than celebrity gossip or divorce voyeurism.Those of us who have spent years minimizing our needs, over-explaining our emotions in an attempt to have them recognized, or trying to contort ourselves into palatable versions of dominant cultural scripts feel a shock of recognition in every song. Allen articulates the quiet grief of being gas-lit into gratitude for crumbs.West End Girl isn't just about Lily Allen and David Harbour—it's about the way patriarchy teaches women to negotiate with our own erasure to serve the agenda of systems of oppression. She's writing from the same ache that so many of us have been metabolizing privately for generations: the manipulation, the gaslighting, the subtle minimizations that we stomach under the guise of love in an attempt to find it/have it/keep it.And that's exactly what the cultural moment is naming out loud. As Vogue recently asked in its viral essay, “Is It Embarrassing to Have Boyfriends Now?”, there's a growing recognition that heterosexual love has long demanded women trade dignity for proximity. Asa Serasin even coined a word for this in 2019—heterofatalism, or the idea that heterosexual relationships are doomed to fail, because women are too often expected to shrink our brilliance, temper our boundaries, and laugh off harm to keep men comfortable.Enter Left Standing: The PodcastI actually recorded the first episode of my new podcast, Left Standing, before West End Girl dropped—but they're part of the same conversation, and I knew I had to discuss them as such.The show is about the reclamation of our narratives: the language, myths, and cultural scripts that have been rewritten and manipulated to serve the false ideals of systems of oppression. In episode one we will trace the etymology of words like gossip (originally meaning “god-sib,” a woman who stands by you in difficult times), and hysteria (from hystera, the womb). We will also discuss the way in which patriarchy rewrites myth, starting with my favorite goddess, the true, often-erased story of Medusa—a survivor punished for being violated.The first episode unpacks these histories and the lineage of tone-policing that still shapes how we hear women like Lily Allen: as “dramatic,” “unladylike,” or “sharing too much.” In it, I quote Melissa' Febos' book Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative. She writes:Listen to me: It is not gauche to write about trauma. It is subversive. The stigma of victimhood is a timeworn tool of oppressive powers to gaslight the people they subjugate into believing that by naming their disempowerment they are being dramatic, whining, attention-grabbing, or else beating a dead horse. By convincing us to police our own and one another's stories, they have enlisted us in the project of our own continued disempowerment.Because when survivors tell the truth, someone will call it embarrassing, dramatic, attention-grabbing, unnecessary, not lady-like, or a lie.And every time we tell it anyway, we reclaims our power—and gives others permission to do the same.As this is our first episode, your shares, comments, likes and subscribes mean OH SO much to me!Details and resources below!Thank you Jacquline Burtney for designing this! If you want to know why we went in this direction—listen to the episode for the feminist story of the iconic Medusa!Housekeeping Notes:* What happened to Business Witch? Well…a random woman who said she owned the trademark for “The Business Witch” demanded I rebrand. In lieu of litigating over the matter, I did. And I like this title way better…what about you? That being said, our old episodes have been archived and are available on this platform for paid subscribers only. Additionally, I'll be releasing a mini business lesson in the form of a podcast once per month. To access this content, you also must be a paid subscriber. As a thank you for subscribing, if you join at the annual level you'll get access to my upcoming nervous system regulation class, Regulate To Rise happening on November 18. If you subscribe as “A Real Witch” you'll be entered to win free birth chart readings with me 2x a year PLUS all other paid subscriber benefits. This community space is subscriber-supported. To get access to archived content and exclusive business lessons, upgrade your subscription.* What does this mean for Business Witch: The Course? It will henceforth be known as The Feminist Business Framework. It relaunches in early 2026 and will be getting a make over! I'll be updating all course material, adding a module on Launching, and generally making the entire thing even better. When you Subscribe to this space, not only will you get access to old and archived episodes, you'll get first access to the re-launch and the ability to apply the cost of your Substack subscription to your course enrollment fee. Join the waitlist here.Resources mentioned in this episode:Melissa Febos' Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal NarrativeThe Feminist Origins of Gossip by Ashley D'ArcyThe History of Hysteria by Ada McVeanDemetra George's Mysteries of the Dark MoonVogue Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing NowLily Allen's AD Home TourLily Allen's West End GirlNew York Magazine: The Trouble With Wanting MenGo deeper with me…I have a few spots left for birth chart readings for the year. If you want to see where Medusa, or other such goddesses live in your chart, grab a spot before they sell out!I'll be running a special on intensives for coaching for Black Friday—there are limited spots…if you want to grab one before they go live, message me.I am so curious if you have a personal goddess of resonance…let me know if a story has spoken to/through you!What is your favorite track on West End Girl? Comment and let me know! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
Dick Cheney's outsized foreign policy role in the George W. Bush administration; what President Trump is talking about when he talks about nuclear testing; the nuclear testing announcement as diplomatic leverage; US readiness to test; nuclear testing for deterrence; the downsides of exploding nuclear weapons in Nevada; and Marcus loves Election DayThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.See all Cheap Talk episodes
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia went to the polls yesterday to elect their next governor, while in New York City, residents decided who would be the next mayor of America's largest city. In all three key elections, the Democratic candidate won. In New York City, self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani is the new mayoral elect, sparking significant reaction across the country. Republican Strategist and founding partner at South and Hill Strategies, Colin Reed, joined the Rundown to break down last night's results and what they could mean heading into the 2026 Midterm Elections next year. Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a decades-long public career as a White House Chief of Staff, Republican Congressman, Defense Secretary, White House chief, and one of the most powerful American Vice Presidents ever, has died at age 84. Fox News contributor and former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, reflects on the life and legacy of Vice President Cheney and how they became friends working together in the Bush administration. Plus, Commentary from FOX News Digital columnist David Marcus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84 from complications related to pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. Mr Cheney became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W Bush's number two during 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84 from complications related to pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. Mr Cheney became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W. Bush's number two during 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dagen na de overname door rebellenleger RSF van de hoofdstad van Darfur in Soedan, wordt er gevreesd voor ongekende slachtofferaantallen in de stad. Een onderzoeker aan Yale vermoedt dat de paramilitairen nu massagraven graven, om de sporen van massamoord uit te wissen. De overgebleven mensen hebben te maken met honger, sommigen proberen te vluchten. Over de situatie ter plekke Derk Segaar van het Rode Kruis, die nog steeds in het gebied actief zijn. (10:51) Cheneys erfenis in Midden-Oosten Het overlijden van Dick Cheney, vice-president onder George W. Bush, maakt niet alleen in de VS veel los. In het Midden-Oosten is Cheney nog steeds berucht vanwege de oorlogen die hij ontketende in Irak en Afghanistan. Over de stempel die Cheney op de regio drukte, en de gevolgen die nog steeds voelbaar zijn, spreken we met historicus Peyman Jafari en Midden-Oostenkenner Koert Debeuf. Presentatie: Laila Frank
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia went to the polls yesterday to elect their next governor, while in New York City, residents decided who would be the next mayor of America's largest city. In all three key elections, the Democratic candidate won. In New York City, self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani is the new mayoral elect, sparking significant reaction across the country. Republican Strategist and founding partner at South and Hill Strategies, Colin Reed, joined the Rundown to break down last night's results and what they could mean heading into the 2026 Midterm Elections next year. Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a decades-long public career as a White House Chief of Staff, Republican Congressman, Defense Secretary, White House chief, and one of the most powerful American Vice Presidents ever, has died at age 84. Fox News contributor and former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, reflects on the life and legacy of Vice President Cheney and how they became friends working together in the Bush administration. Plus, Commentary from FOX News Digital columnist David Marcus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 26 A New Student (tribal) Council In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. If you can't look in a mirror and laugh at yourself, cut off the light "Can we put other restrictions on you?" Simone Brady prodded. "This is not the 'Zane' show," Virginia Goodswell interjected. "We need to decide when the new Student government will meet, I suggest Tuesday nights, and how we are going to conduct business." "We can start by deciding where we meet," Chastity spoke up. "I vote for Zane's place." "What's wrong with the Assembly Hall, where we've always met?" Rhaine countered. "Rhaine, you are drinking a Doctor Pepper, KayLeigh, you are drinking a grape juice, and Joy was eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup when I got here," Hope snickered. "You have hot plates and microwaves too, if needed." Rhaine, Joy, and KayLeigh, all Traditionalists, looked guilty. They also looked like they treasured their creature comforts because they weren't running for the door. "It is a nice place," KayLeigh admitted. "And you don't get to come back up here otherwise," Rio grinned evilly. "This floor is devoted to the freshman class." "There are a lot of upperclassmen up here right now," Rhaine pointed out. "Those are what you would call 'friends'," Rio sneered. "If you weren't freaking evil, you might have some." "Please don't put it that way," I requested of Rio. Rio had every reason to be cranky. Mercy looked even more exhausted sitting at her side. "Zane will arrange the room to fit your needs," Christina finally spoke, "I guarantee it." "You think you can control him?" Rhaine shot back. "I'm not afraid of him; he's not some wild beast. I ask him to do things for me and he does," Christina chided Rhaine. "He is like any other freshman; it is that simple." "He's rather mouthy for a freshman," Hannah joked. "Well, maybe if you put my mouth to other uses," I bantered back. There was a moment of silence followed by Dana Gorman taking up her bottled water and walking over to me. She smiled down at my seated form while she poured out the remaining water onto my crown. "Cool off, Casanova," Dana cautioned me playfully before returning to her seat. "Exactly why do you keep her around again?" Rio slapped my shoulder. "Can you imagine how insufferable Christina would be if Coach didn't keep her in line?" I smiled. Christina rolled her eyes while Rio chuckled. Virginia stood up and cleared her throat. "I want to make sure that all the ladies, plus Zane, plan to make this experiment work. It is rather pointless to proceed if any of you can't be honest now," Virginia, my Spiritual Advisor, poled the audience. Most of the girls looked around to see who would do what but no one jumped. "I think it is safe to say that we students will stay true to the Vice Chancellor's plan, though this is not an endorsement of Zane, his conduct, or even his continued presence here," Rhaine spoke for the group. "With that settled, we can call it a night," Doctor Kennedy declared. "Ladies, consider what issues we need to deal with so we can bring them up next Tuesday night, 9 pm." "Who do we send the itinerary to?" Simone inquired. "Zane," Hudson Lane volunteered me. "I nominate Faith De Young (of Christina's inner circle) to be our Secretary of Record, if she wants the job," I said. Faith looked completely taken off-guard but nodded quickly. "I'll do it," she made clear. The meeting broke up soon after with most of the student leadership departing. Dana, Hudson, and Christina & company hung around a little longer. "Not the Glamorous Gremlin?" Rio teased me on my choice of Secretary. She gasped and nearly fell over right after that. Iona smiled softly and shook her head. She realized that she was still a freshman and her day would come. "Ah, here's one of the controllers," Heaven gave a devilish smile as she handed the device over to Rio. Miraculously, the other three sexual wonders were also handed over, ending the threat of torture for the day. "I see a spanking machine in you bitches' future," Rio snarled at Chastity, Hope, Heaven, Faith, and Christina. "I swear, I tried to get one of those damn things all day long," Valarie griped. "You would think that after setting this up, someone would have given me one, but no, I am a freshman so I don't get to play the game." "It was you!" Rio screamed, and lunged at Valarie, who comically batted her away as Vivian and Mercy intervened. "Yes," Val laughed, "but it was Iona who figured out how to have captured your days by enlisting the aid of classmates with video phones. I can tell today's footage is going to be a classic." "Why did you do it?" Vivian asked Valarie. "I had revenge on Rio and made Mercy ecstatically happy; it was a win-win," Val grinned vindictively. It was a credit to Rio's berserk nature that no one asked what Rio had done to warrant revenge; everyone automatically assumed that Valarie was justified. "Everyone's sympathy is under-whelming," Rio grumbled. "Come on, Mercy, let's get these things off." "Do we have to?" Mercy pleaded softly. Hell, I imagine she could barely stand but apparently, her limit to sexual overstimulation was unconsciousness. Rio used one finger to hook Mercy's collar and pulled her close. "How dare you talk back," Rio whispered, but I was close enough to hear. "I was going to settle for the vibrating nipple clamps that arrived today but now I'm thinking a few dozen paddle blows, to each cheek, are in your future, you annoying little bitch." Annoying was Mercy and Rio's code word for 'love'; Rio simply couldn't stand the 'L' word. "Vibrating nipple clamps?" Christina was both confused and amused. "Where do you people come up with this stuff?" "Adam and Eve," Rio shot back without batting an eye. "Wait until I have Mercy's nipples and lips pierced; then the real fun begins." "I don't think Mercy should have her lips pierced," Vivian suggested forcefully. "They'd be glaringly obvious." Rio groaned and sighed. "Not those lips," Rio clarified. "The other ones, you know, labia, cunt lips, cunt etc." There was a pregnant pause in the room. "Attach vibrator wires to those bad boys and Wow! Let the magic begin." Mercy and Rio really were made for each other; they were both salivating at the prospect. Thankfully, I saw Cassandra hovering around and looking ready for me to start playing towel boy. "Ladies, one last duty to perform and then my day is done," I attempted my exit. "Zane, is it alright if I spend the night?" Hope ambushed me. "Of course," I smiled, because I'm a fucking idiot who is an embarrassment to the very concept of the mentally challenged and a parody of every teen boy date flick. I was already spending time with Iona, Paige, Barbie Lynn, and now Hope. Maybe I can find a way to have a secret government space array shoot an earthquake laser at my feet so a pit opens up underneath me and I plummet to a fiery death at the Earth's core. Maybe I watch too much bad TV. "Iona, did my Viagra arrive yet," I teased my buddy. "I'm going to need a pill tonight." "Oh, Zane, I don't think we have any but I'll go online and see what I can get for you," Iona replied in all seriousness. "I know some guys who smuggle them in from Mexico," Valarie offered. "I'll make some calls." "That is so cool!" Barbie Lynn clapped her hands. "Now he'll never go down. I can ride him all night long." She hugged me while a fearful vision of my desiccated, sperm-drained husk lying open-eyed and lifeless on my bed danced before my eyes. "Zane?" Cassandra called out. "Oh, yes, towel boy and bikini selection," I muttered. I gravitated her way, took her hand, and led her to my room. "What's that about?" Vivian mused. "Handmaiden's Duty," Iona informed the ladies. "He picks out a bikini for her and acts as pool boy while she's in the Jacuzzi." "I hope someone cleans that thing from time to time," Faith shuddered. "Every morning at ten o'clock it is drained and cleaned, and the filter cleaned every Monday," Iona droned on without even looking up. The rest of that exchange was lost as I retreated to my bedroom. What followed could be blamed on Cassandra accidently dropping her drink in the Jacuzzi and me having to retrieve it; it was an unopened soda can. Or maybe it could be blamed on the surprisingly conservative (for my room) white and black striped bikini she wore. Whatever was the catalyst, inside five minutes I had Cassandra out of her suit, front to front, her crotch pressing me against the side of the Jacuzzi with my head barely above water while she rode my face in a pattern and energy that reminded me of Hawaii's North Shore. Cassandra was pounding the back of my head against the wood wall as she drove her cunt over my lips and tongue again and again. "Oh, Baby, you are so much better than my fingers," she communicated with an erotic growl. "Keep it up, keep it up!" She was the one in the control of the sexual rhythm so I was not sure what else I might do but keep licking and sucking as hard as I could. I was finally able to run a hand along her chocolate flesh until I managed to push against her sternum and got her to roll her shoulders back. That allowed me to start massaging and stroking one of her breasts while my other hand got between her legs from behind and gently penetrated her cunt. "Za, za, za, Zane!" she screamed out. Note to self: Add earplugs to my Must Have List. Cassandra slathered my nose, lips, and chin with her rather scalding, light to the tongue and tasty fluids. If she wasn't still trying to give me a concussion with her hips I might have enjoyed it more. As her orgasm dissipated, she slid down my body with a sated sigh. Her legs were outside mine so as she descended, her cunt came to rest on my Speedo-encased cock. Saying that my cock was hard would be like saying snow is cold or the English love their soccer; pretty much a given. Her eyes grew wide when she realized where she rested. She's a senior and a virgin in a Christian Girl's school, she began humping me, of course. Being Cassandra, she began humping me hard and thumping her way to another climax. "Zane, I am totally rethinking you being allowed on campus," Cassandra panted. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" I wondered. At this time I had one finger lightly in her cunt as my other hand tenderly tweaked one of her nipples. "Oh, I think every junior and senior should have their own personal freshman boy to keep under control with a strong hand," she grinned while she kept working my rod over with her cunt. "Wouldn't it be nice if we developed a peaceful, platonic relationship based on mutual trust and respect?" I suggested hopefully. Cassandra gave a deep, throaty laugh. "You're funny, but no," she grinned evilly. "After all, if that was the case, I couldn't do this: Zane, suck my other nipple, suck it hard, while I play with your fat phallus." Oh yeah, I love the way this is going (insert internalized weeping). She worked out my cock painfully fast and began rubbing it deeply between her labia, to the point I felt the tightness of her vaginal walls on my cockhead. "Zane, you know a whole lot about the sex stuff," she stated. "What's a cock ring?" Oh, HELL No! I have enough difficulty ejaculating as is. The last thing I need is something that allows another to make the prospects of my ejaculation even dimmer. "It's a device, a ring, that is placed over the base of the cock to restrict blood flow, thus allowing longer erections," I grudgingly confessed. "Thinking about getting one, as a Christmas present, for someone out of state?" "So, you could have intercourse, for a long time, and not ejaculate, so a girl would be, safe, in fucking you raw?" Cassandra's voice was becoming more strained. "Technically, yes, but a little music, some hand-holding, and dinner at McDonald's would suffice in getting me aroused," I tried to explain. "There is no need for, something like that." "Zane, clearly God put you, on this campus as a test for, true believers," Cassandra related, "And every woman here needs, to be tested, A Lot!" she screamed out her second orgasm of the night. My hands raced down to grab each luscious buttock before her spasms caused her to slip down my cock and make her virginity a thing of the past. When my cock slapped against my stomach, I held Cassandra tight until she calmed down. "You need to stay on campus during the weekends," Cassandra moaned with content exhaustion, "so we can use you more often." "Why do you think I flee campus every weekend?" I thought. If she had her way, I'd be walking around with an IV in my arm and popping Viagra like M&M's. I chose life! If you think I am a coward, step up and take my place. I'll sneak back into the cemetery at night and put a flower on your headstone. You can take that permanent smile etched on your face to your grave, He-Man. "I have to ask: What brought this on?" I inquired. "I received one of Mercy's controls and we shared the next class," Cassandra confessed. "She glowed with such pleasure I thought she would pass out. I was suddenly curious." "I had nothing to do with that," I groaned. "I swear, it wasn't me." Cassandra placed one hand on each side of my face. "Zane, it wasn't you, I know that," she smiled, "but it is your presence that allowed something like that, her ability to experience that level of pleasure, that I want to experience. I have to go now. I need to report to the other girls what it was like so we can figure out what to do with you next." You know, if I had been paranoid, I would have been right, people are plotting against me. Cassandra stood up and stepped onto the bench so that I was once more facing her puffy, somewhat abused cunt lips before she swung one leg over me and exited the tub. I closed my eyes and let my head hang over the side, facing up. "Towel boy," Cassandra taunted me. I looked at her. Cassandra was dripping wet and she was extending a towel my way. I pulled my own tired ass out of the Jacuzzi and tenderly buffed her excellent body until she was dry. She gave me one last kiss, dressed, and virtually skipped out of my domain, happy, arrogant and plotting my demise. I cleaned up, dealt with the Jacuzzi, and took in my surroundings. The only witnesses to my congress and conversation with Cassandra were Dana Gorman and Hudson Lane, my voyeuristic adult female 'friends'. Dana pulled me over as I walked passed her. Hudson Lane had gone off to get some drinks. "You and Gabrielle, ?" "You have no respect for my survival instincts, do you?" I chuckled. "Not really," Dana smirked. "Fine," I groaned in feigned annoyance. "She wanted to talk so we talked, nothing else happened." "She beat you up, didn't she?" Gorman persisted. Another deep sigh on my part came out before I confessed, "Yes. Why do you ask?" "I wanted to smack you around from the first day I met you," Dana laughed. "I think Ms. Black has done admirably not beating you black and blue before now." "Has yet another girl beaten Zane up?" Hudson angled around to sit next to Dana. "The consistency of the femdom attitudes at this school is frightening." "Don't throw stones, Ms. Lane," Dana warned her. "You, Zane, and Ms. Messier, the lawyer Ms. Buchanan hired to help Zane when he went to jail, I was head of security when it happened and I know when Ms. Messier arrived on campus, where she stayed, and when she, and you, left this dorm." "You never said anything to Chancellor Bazz?" Hudson worried. "No," Dana responded. "You three are adults, and ruining your career here wouldn't have made expelling Zane any easier. I wasn't the sex police." "Thank you," Hudson smiled. "I now have another reason to be happy Zane championed your cause with the Board of Directors." She touched Dana on her thigh. "It's not going to happen, Lane," Dana informed the lawyer while opening her V-8. "I've had a long time to figure out that I'm not attracted to women." Wow, Dana knew that Hudson was bi-sexual and didn't care. That was another big plus for Dana in my book. "That's what Brigitte Messier thought as well," Hudson winked. "It turns out a little bit of Zane goes a long way to loosening up a girl's morals and expanding their horizons." "I repeat, it is not going to happen," Dana shook her head. "Zane's a student and I'm a teacher. Perhaps the day he graduates, I'll kidnap him for a long, frustration-relieving weekend. I haven't had sex in eight years and watching him work really stresses my resolve." "You could always join me in the hot tub," I offered. I wasn't sure how serious I was. I also wasn't sure how bad a concussion Cassandra had given me. "Zane, do you have any idea of what I would do to you if I focused all my pent up sexual fury onto that body of yours?" Dana threatened. I gulped. "Does it start with me tying you down?" I suggested sweetly. Hudson was looking really intrigued by this. I was beginning to believe she had this erotic attraction to 'turning' straight girls, most likely mirroring her own Law School experiences. "What do you think?" she glared. Dana was becoming seriously aroused. "I guess my only other question is if I can outrun you," I joked. Dana kept staring. "Zane," Hudson snickered, "do you realize that your swimsuit is basically transparent when wet?" "No, I didn't," I gulped once more. My package was less than a foot from Dana's lips. "Sorry, I'll be going to bed now," I backed up. "That's a really nice ass," Dana sighed as I turned away. "It is even nicer to touch," Hudson commented. "It's not happening, Lane," Dana grumbled. "Oh, you will come around," Hudson Lane laughed softly. "I have faith in Zane." Dana growled in rebuttal. When I rounded the first cut-back leading to my bedroom, I heard and smelled sex, suddenly, sneaking off to Gabrielle Black's place and hiding out for the night sounded like a good idea, barring her killing me, of course. I sorted out the noises as I moved around until the room came into full view. Reminder number one: Check the God Damn air filters! Where the fuck do I begin? On the far side of the bed, Mercy was on her knees, head down on a pillow with her painfully ecstatic face looking toward me. That was how I could tell she had been gagged. Her wrists were handcuffed behind her back, she was moaning and sweating up a storm, and her whole aura emanated with tantric excitement. In case you might be wondering where her Mistress was: Rio was straddling Mercy's back, ass resting on Mercy's neck (by the tension in her thighs, Rio wasn't pressing down hard thankfully) and facing her playmate's highly vulnerable posterior. "Hold out a little longer, my slut," Rio egged Mercy on quietly as she paddled those beautiful exposed ass cheeks, apparently in a random fashion. And now it gets weird(er): Behind Mercy, facing Rio, wielding a strap-on with firm, slow, and steady strokes, was Paige. For the love of the Almighty, should I be quarantined as an immorality contagion? It wasn't like Paige was an angel but she was taking a few giant steps to proficiently wielding an artificial cock into a bound girl's bunghole. The fact that Rio and Paige despised each other continued warping my perception of events. Barbie Lynn (farthest away in the closest group), Vivian, and Valarie were on the near side of the sheets. They weren't actually having sex but were talking in low voices with the occasional running of a hand through a companion's hair or tracing a finger from hip to thigh. It was sensual without being pornographic. It also appeared to be something they all three were enjoying. In the middle section of my sleeping platform (it is an awesomely big bed) was Iona and Hope, who were doing a little more than cuddling together in quiet conversation. Hope stroked Iona's head compassionately as Iona gently teased and suckled on Hope's left breast. Every ounce of my experience cried out to me that Iona had initiated the sexual contact. That boggled the mind, right up there with Hope allowing a near stranger such intimate contact. "Hey, Lover," Barbie Lynn gifted me with a sultry leer, "are you going to take that off or are you going to allow him to bust out on his own?" Bathing suit, cock, raging erection; got it. I yanked off my speedo fast enough to make my skin burn. I wrapped it up in a towel before tossing them in the clothes hamper. I quickly plotted out my journey, figuring out where I was supposed to end up. I was giving up the illusion that I controlled events because if I was created in God's image and that was the reason God wanted men to rule over women, then I think God was really Goddess and Heaven's soul had it right, change sides. Valarie gave me a fearless grin as I climbed over her on my way to the middle. She shifted so that her breasts swayed from side to side. I took in the view before kissing her and moving on. "Try to settle things down by eleven, Zane," Vivian requested. I nodded and then kissed the tip of her nose, which she returned by kissing my forehead. It was very motherly of her, barring the fact that the sheets barely covered her pubic region and every exposed bit of her looked scrumptious. My last hurdle was Barbie Lynn, and that was an obstacle in more than just the physical sense. She knew how to stretch and yawn just right for making my blood boil with lust and my vision cloud with desire. "You will come back to me, Zane," she said with brazen tenderness. "Now go on and take care of the others who need you now." Best Blonde Bombshell ever. As I settled behind Hope who was still facing Iona, I took it slow to let her instincts understand that I wasn't a threat but desirous of her. "What's going on here?" I inquired delicately. "Hope, I didn't think you liked Iona all that much? And Iona, you have become much more confident in the past month; I like it." "Zane, Iona is one of the bravest freshmen I've ever met. She's never backed down from a challenge and is smart enough to fight the battles she can win and send others to win the one's she can't," Hope explained. "I have admired her for some time." "I know you wanted Hope to be put at ease," Iona related. "She's surrounded by people she has minimal familiarity with. I reasoned that I could help her adjust by doing what you do." "Sexy, clever, lethal girls; this is definitely going on my Santa Wish List," I grinned. I was trying to settle in behind Hope when she wiggled around onto her back and indicated she wanted me to move between her and Iona. I was hardly in the mood to refuse and soon, both ladies were nestled in my arms. I was thinking about the next step when the situation around Mercy increased in energy and volume. Hope pushed halfway over my chest and Iona turned away from me so they could watch the proceedings. Mercy was shivering like a leaf in a thunderstorm. Rio moved up so that her face was inches away from Paige's. I could see Paige contemplating her next action before she leaned into Rio. They each placed a hand behind the other's head to keep them close as they kissed. "You smart-ass hooker," Rio snickered. "What flavor is that?" Mercy was cresting toward her orgasm unattended while Rio made small talk with Paige. "Mango, lip balm and mouth wash," Paige beamed triumphantly. Rio snorted. "Really start hammering the bitch," Rio ordered/requested. Paige nodded. She slowly drew back until only the tip of the fake phallus remained in Mercy's rectum before savagely slamming it all the way in as hard as she could. Mercy squealed through her gag and began to violently spasm. Rio dismounted Mercy and flopped beside her partner's head. "Don't you dare lose it, Cum-Bunny," Rio pressed Mercy. "Disappoint me and you will get nothing until the weekend. I won't let you touch anyone, even yourself. Are we clear?" Mercy sobbed and nodded while her body teetered on the precipice of total collapse. Paige was displeased with Mercy's resistance and began spanking her thighs and buttocks hard enough to leave imprints. Rio kept stroking Mercy's hair and urging her to hang on. At the pinnacle of the moment I knew Mercy could not go on, Rio spoke softly into her ear. "You annoying whore," she said, "I am so proud to be with you. Don't ever leave, now cum." Mercy's resulting climax was so powerful that her muscle spasms knocked Paige back on her heels knocking the strap-on mostly out of her ass. Mercy squirted, really squirted, onto Paige's lap, with even more juice shooting and coating Mercy's thighs and my sheets. Up front, Mercy was cursing up a storm through her gag, grinding the fabric between her teeth with tears streaming out of her clenched eyes. Before her thrashing subsided, Rio had pulled the gag off and was kissing her fiercely on the lips, again and again. Mercy curled into a ball and Rio immediately wrapped her arms and legs around her Sub, keeping her presence light but comforting. Rio saw our attention being directed their way and mouthed: 'Best Bitch Ever!' using her eyes to exaggerate the force of the words. Paige was still looking over the sticky mess that she had become. "Put the contraption to soak in the big sink and take a shower," I suggested. Paige could see no flaw in my suggestion so she gave me a wink, unstrapped the device, and made her way out of the room. When my eyes snapped back from watching a naked Paige exit, I saw that Hope's focus was on me. "That looked fun," Hope stated clinically. "It is not for me but it definitely looked like they all felt, cleaner in a spiritual sense when they were done. I would never have suspected. In fact, I thought being bound was debasing and weak." "It is called bondage and it is part of a sexual practice called BDSM, bondage, discipline, sadomasochism," I explained. "It definitely isn't for everyone, and certainly isn't as bizarre as Iona's furry fetish." "Zane," Hope glared, "I saw a CSI episode on furries and you can't be an Asian or Asian-American high school girl in the United States and not know about cosplay; Iona and I are not into either one of those lifestyles I'm pretty sure." While Hope was distracting me with her knowledge of other sexual subcultures, Iona snuck a hand beneath me and pinched my right ass cheek. "Ow," I jumped. "What was that for, Beautiful?" I pleaded to Iona. "I wanted to?" she responded meekly. "That sounds like a perfectly good reason to me," I smiled. I would be somewhat offended if it was someone else but Iona was special; like Rio, she would always have my back, but unlike my chaotic fiend, she never abused my trust (or so I thought). "Do me a favor?" Iona requested. "Sure, anything for you," I answered right off the bat. "Make her happy," Iona's eyes sparkled as the flickered to Hope. "Tickle my ear when you finish." "Sure," I sighed with feigned regret, "if I have to." "Thank you, Iona," Hope snorted in amusement, "I've got it from here." "Nite-nite," Iona yawned, then rolled over and pretended to drop off to sleep. Like that was going to happen anytime soon! "What no-, Hope got out before I rolled on top of her. I used one leg to wedge hers open, then settled between them as I lowered my body down. Hope looked at me quizzically. "Touch me wherever you like," I instructed. I showed her what I meant by kissing her cheek, then edging around to suck on her earlobe. Hope led off with her fingertips running along the muscles of my forearms and following a twisted trail up to my shoulders. With equal care, she began rubbing her toes along my calves, up to my knees and lower thighs. This had the added benefit of rotating her hips so that her pubic hair scratched along the veins of the base of my cock. "You know this is going to make field work with you far more difficult," Hope murmured. "Now you know what I've been going through for a month," I teased her back. "Now you know how I feel naked under your touch and so do I." "You touch yourself much?" Hope giggled. Iona did her best to smother her own mirthful reaction. "Maybe you should come to my bed more often to keep my hands otherwise occupied," I suggested. Hope arched her back, thrusting her breasts into my chest and laughed lyrically. "Touch ," Hope conceded. "I wondered if I was imposing on your hospitality, wanting to spend tonight with you. Now I'm feeling as if I've been lured in and seduced by your masculine wiles." "Zane, manipulating somebody!" Valarie gave a comedic gasp. "Well, there is always a first time for our ham-handed Lothario to launch a plot that doesn't involve him getting an extra fish stick for dinner." "Ham-handed," Barbie Lynn mused. "His fingers are smoking but hardly ham-like," which she emphasized by rubbing her hand over her crotch. "Do you often stick smoked country ham between your thighs, Barbie-Baby?" Valarie taunted. "Only when your magic tongue and fingers aren't available," Barbie Lynn volleyed right back. "Oh, you did not say that!" Valarie choked. She vaulted on top of Barbie Lynn and the two started wrestling. Vivian scooted toward the edge and fended off the combatants from rolling over her. "When we graduate and drag you back to our dungeon to live, are you going to miss other bed partners having these mid-coital conversations?" Hope smirked. "You underestimate your ability to focus my attention," I countered. When you are in bed with someone, you are in bed with THAT person, or so I believe. Hope's look sizzled, her body heated up, and she pulled me so close and tight, I couldn't make out any details beyond her eyes. "I hate them," Hope purred. "Who?" I worried. You don't want one good friend to hate another good friend. You really don't want a good friend with marksmanship skills out the ass not liking someone you have become attached to. "Christina and Heaven," she sighed, but I knew she wasn't serious. "Christina because you would rather be with her and Heaven because she has you." "Hope," I maneuvered so I could stroke her cheek, "I can't promise you or anyone else anything beyond this school year. Neither one of us qualifies as 'normal' by any definition of the word. I certainly like being with you, if that matters, and not just in bed. You are beautiful, intense, and serious in a way we shouldn't be." "Serious is not the most intimate of descriptions," Hope joked, "but I think I know what you mean. As chaotic as your life is, I think we balance each other out." I didn't need words to agree with that; I let us return to our game of touch, kiss, and lick. We were getting back into a playful tempo when the fight between Valarie and Barbie Lynn ended. There was no hot, spontaneous lesbian eruption; it devolved into Valarie having Barbie Lynn pinned with her wrists on the pillow held over her head. Valarie was trying to administer a 'Wet Willy' (sticking a finger, or tongue, into your opponent's ear) and finally succeeding. "I give, I give," squealed Barbie Lynn. "Anything, just stop." "Anything?" Valarie prodded suggestively. Barbie Lynn's very ample bosom heaved with each deep breath she took, which had the effect of rubbing them in circles against Valarie's dangling breasts. "Come with me to the Southwest this summer," Valarie demanded. Barbie Lynn was still giving it serious thought when Paige came traipsing back in, drying her hair. "Where in the Southwest?" Paige inquired. Valarie sat up on Barbie Lynn and looked over her shoulder at the albino lass. "West of Laredo, East of the Pacific, South of Denver and North of Mexico," Valarie answered. "Sant Fe, Vegas, the Painted Desert, places like that." I didn't see coming what happened next. "Valarie, would you consider allowing to me come along?" Paige asked politely. "You really want to impress Zane that much?" Valarie divined Paige's intention. "That, and he's most likely going with Rio as well," Paige responded, "so you are going to need all the help you can get." Rio didn't respond verbally, Mercy was still recovering, but glared with venom. "What do you add to our little expedition?" Valarie asked. "I'll do it," Barbie Lynn interjected. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do after graduation but seeing more of the world will do me good, and I hear it is cold in the desserts at night and I don't want Zane to catch a chill," she adds with a smile. "I speak Spanish, plus a strong understanding of electronics, botany, and computers," Paige continued with a twinge of annoyance toward Barbie. "Fine, both are in. We are getting our rides tomorrow afternoon at five," Valarie announced. "Zane," Hope whispered, "I appreciate the silence of our first date now more than ever." "We can go back to your place?" I offered. "Oh, Chastity would love that," Hope snickered playfully. "I'm afraid if you don't ravish her in the next few weeks, she is going to rape Heaven." "I'll keep that in mind, but right now I want to be where I am, with you," I kissed Hope's nose. "Can I try something, Zane?" Hope turned serious and introspective. "Of course," I said. "Paige, come over here with me," Barbie Lynn suggested. The blonde wiggled over so that Valarie fell to the far side and indicated that Paige should join her. "You only want to sex up my body," Paige accused Barbie Lynn, as she hopped onto the foot of the bed and put her fists defiantly on her hips. "But of course I do, Paige-shugah," Barbie Lynn licked her lips, "now get over here and give me a taste." "Oh. In that case, Paige scampered over and reclined next to the dynamite blonde. Barbie Lynn had a strong, subtly alluring persona while Paige was constantly aggressive. "A naked Paige Zeller sexual molesting an equally naked Barbie Lynn Masters will go down as yet another thing I never thought I'd see," Hope mused. "Be careful who you think is molesting who," I cautioned Hope. A few seconds later Paige shook and fluttered. Barbie Lynn had slid a stealthy hand between Paige's thighs. "Oh, someone's been a bad little kitty," Barbie Lynn cooed, "A bad, soaking wet little kitty." Paige hiccupped, then shuddered again. "Does kitty need to be petted," Barbie asked as she stroked Paige's love box, "or does kitty need to be spanked?" And Barbie Lynn spanked Paige's cunt lightly, making Paige jerk. "Master, I stand corrected," Hope nodded her head to me in respect of my sexual insight. "You wanted to do something?" I brought Hope back on track. "Yes, Zane, yes I did," Hope smiled. "Please lie on your back and close your eyes." It was my turn to nod as I complied with her wishes. She settled her haunches on my crotch and waited a moment. First was a kiss, followed in slow progression by a finger, nose, earlobe, toe, two fingers coated in her juices, two fingers coated in Paige's juices, a nipple (most likely the right), her other nipple coated in Barbie Lynn's juices, Valarie's tongue (given away by the movement toward me), Hope's tongue, her other big toe, and ending with her lips and tongue. The anticipation of what was coming next was fun. As Hope reclined on top of me, Mercy finally began to stir. "Were you a good little tramp tonight?" Rio panted hungrily at her partner. "Yes, I, was I?" Mercy rasped. She was fighting to stay awake, her fatigue a heavy burden to bear. "The Slut will say 'Yes Mistress; yes I was allowed to be good tonight'," Rio nuzzled Mercy's neck, ear, and jaw. "Yes, Mistress," Mercy purred. "My wonderfully annoying Mistress allowed me to be good tonight." Rio spanked Mercy's burning hot ass flank hard. Mercy flinched and cried out in pain. "Did I tell you to adlib, you annoying, frustrating skank," Rio taunted her, "or is my whore clever enough to sneak in an undeserved spanking?" Mercy buried her face in a pillow but I could swear she was smiling. "Nipple clamps for you in the morning, and I'm getting those bitches pierced on Saturday, got it?" Rio clarified the point by rolling each nipple between her forefinger and thumb. Mercy nodded but kept her face in the pillow. "Fine, let's get underneath the covers. Snuggle up with me to keep me warm, and you had better suckle my nipples. Rio took up her normal sleeping area, avoiding the wet spot, with Mercy at her side, her tongue playing with Rio's left nipple. "Mercy," Rio whispered. Mercy kept tongue-flicking the nipple but looked up. "You rock," Rio said even softer. Mercy pulled more of her weary body over Rio as the nipple play continued and Rio began stroking her paramour's hair lovingly. In that relationship, it was getting harder to determine who the 'better' half was. I searched around blindly for some lube, which had 'mystically' migrated under Barbie Lynn's pillow. "Hope, put some oil on my cock and on your ass cleft," I told my Korean princess. She barely broke her iron mask of indifference before taking the bottle and doing as directed. I caught sight of Valarie, Vivian, and Barbie Lynn all peeking my way. I imagined it was the curiosity about my apparent decision to 'break' Hope in anally. "Hope, point my cock up and mount it," I directed. In theme with the game the two of us played, Hope took my commands without question, even to the point where her virginity was in question. "Push it back," I stopped Hope's decent as it contacted her rather moist slit. She pushed back a little. Being a virgin, she probably wasn't sure where in the cunt, a cock should penetrate. "Farther back," I insisted, then again, "no, still farther." I felt my rod separate her ass cheeks as Hope slid on down. Only when her now soaking mound settled on my pubic bone did she figure out the game. "Ah, that's cold," Valarie whispered to Vivian and Barbie Lynn. "No ass sex for Hope tonight," lamented Barbie Lynn. My precious blonde really loved anal sex. I put my hands on Hope's hips to support her. "Now ride me, Hope," I smiled. "Give me everything you've got." Hope started out slow, working out a rhythm that pushed my shaft and cockhead as deep along her ass crack as possible. She even stopped for a moment and applied more lube. Soon she was thrusting hard back and up quickly, then allowing a long, leisurely ride back to my crotch. She bounced down on me again and again, her resounding impact on my crotch becoming a wetter, smacking sound. Hope was powerful, vibrant, and strong; she needed little of the guidance provided by my hands on her hips. I decided to move my right hand to her finely groomed pubic hair, then to her soft pubic flesh itself. I alternated between splitting her lips open and massaging her clit. With my left hand, I coaxed stimulation from her right areola and nipple. This time, instead of scarring me, Hope wrapped her fingers in her hair. She gave a few desperate convulsions, then her whole body tensed backwards. "Zane! Oh, fuck!" she screamed. Her ass cheeks tried to squeeze my cock in a steel-tight vise but fortunately, the lube caused it to pop free before those buns of steel could turn my man-meat into ground beef (sometimes I visualize too graphically). "I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes," Vivian sighed. "A girl comes to a boy
pWotD Episode 3108: Dick Cheney Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 959,236 views on Tuesday, 4 November 2025 our article of the day is Dick Cheney.Richard Bruce Cheney (January 30, 1941 – November 3, 2025) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. His tenure was often called the most powerful vice presidency in American history, with many pundits and historians noting that he was the first vice president to be more powerful than the presidents they served under. Cheney previously served as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford, the U. S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 1979 to 1989, and as the 17th United States secretary of defense in the administration of President George H. W. Bush. He was also considered by many to be the architect of the Iraq War.Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney grew up there and in Casper, Wyoming. He attended Yale University before earning a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in political science from the University of Wyoming. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations. He served as White House chief of staff from 1975 to 1977. In 1978, he was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives, and represented Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 1979 to 1989, briefly serving as House minority whip in 1989. He was appointed Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, and held the position for most of Bush's term from 1989 to 1993. As secretary, he oversaw Operation Just Cause in 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in 1991. While out of office during the Clinton administration, he was the chairman and CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000.In July 2000, Cheney was chosen by presumptive Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush as his running mate in the 2000 presidential election. They defeated their Democratic opponents, incumbent vice president Al Gore and senator Joe Lieberman. In 2004, Cheney was reelected to his second term as vice president with Bush as president, defeating their Democratic opponents Senators John Kerry and John Edwards. During Cheney's tenure as vice president, he played a leading behind-the-scenes role in the George W. Bush administration's response to the September 11 attacks and coordination of the Global War on Terrorism. He was an early proponent of invading Iraq, alleging that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed weapons of mass destruction and had an operational relationship with Al-Qaeda; however, neither allegation was ever substantiated. He also pressured the intelligence community to provide intelligence consistent with the administration's rationales for invading Iraq. Cheney was often criticized for the Bush administration's policies regarding the campaign against terrorism, for his support of wiretapping by the National Security Agency (NSA), and for his endorsement of the U. S.'s "enhanced interrogation" torture program. He publicly disagreed with President Bush's position against same-sex marriage in 2004, but also said it is "appropriately a matter for the states to decide".Cheney ended his vice presidential tenure as a deeply unpopular figure in American politics with an approval rating of 13 percent. His peak approval rating in the wake of the September 11 attacks was 68 percent. After leaving the vice presidency, Cheney became critical of modern Republican leadership, including Donald Trump, and endorsed Trump's challenger in 2024, Democrat Kamala Harris. Cheney died on November 3, 2025, from complications related to pneumonia and vascular disease.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 04:36 UTC on Wednesday, 5 November 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Dick Cheney on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.
Dick Cheney, who served two terms as vice president under former President George W. Bush, died at his home due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. He was 84.Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas has filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. The Heritage Foundation's National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism has sent a list of demands to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts for defending Tucker Carlson's decision to give a friendly interview to Nick Fuentes.Far-Left outlet Teen Vogue will no longer operate as a standalone publication, with Condé Nast announcing plans to fold it into its flagship digital brand, Vogue.com. The NewsGuild of New York and Condé Union are both unhappy about the decision. A move that reportedly led to 75% of staffers being laid off, including the entire political editorial staff. But they are mostly upset because most of the people laid off are BIPOC women or trans.Become a supporter of Tapp into the Truth: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tapp-into-the-truth--556114/support Tapp into the Truth on Rumble. Follow, watch the older shows, and join the live streams.“Remember Pop Rocks? Now, imagine they gave you superpowers.” Please let me introduce you to Energy Rocks! Born from the grit and ambition of a competitive athlete who wanted a better, cleaner way to fuel the body and mind, without the hassle of mixing powders, messy bottles, or caffeine crashes. Energy Rocks is a reimagining of energy into something fun, functional, and fantastically effective. A delicious popping candy energy supplement that delivers a rapid boost of clean energy and focus — anytime, anywhere. No water. No mixing. No bulky bottles. Just open, pop it in your mouth, and get ready to rock. Making any time the right time to “Get in the Zone, One Pop at a Time.”Take This Free Quiz To Find Out The Best & Worst Foods To Avoid For Joint Pain!Do you wake up in the morning with stiff joints or pain in your hips, back, knees, or elbows? Then, chances are you're feeling the effects of chronic inflammation taking its toll on your body. The good news is that it is NEVER too late to help get this under control. And the best part is certain foods help you do this naturally, without the need for prescription medications.If recent events have proven anything, you need to be as prepared as possible for when things go sideways. You certainly can't count on the government for help. True liberty requires self-reliance. My Patriot SupplySupport American jobs! Support the show! Get great products at great prices! Go to My Pillow and use promo code TAPP to save! Visit Patriot Mobile or Call (817) 380-9081 to take advantage of a FREE Month of service when you switch using promo code TAPP! Morning Kick is a revolutionary new daily drink from Roundhouse Provisions that combines ultra-potent greens like spirulina and kale with probiotics, prebiotics, collagen, and even ashwagandha. Just mix with water, stir, and enjoy!Follow Tapp into the Truth on Locals Follow Tapp into the Truth on SubstackHero SoapPatriot DepotBlue CoolersKoa CoffeeBrainMDDiamond CBDSauce Bae2nd SkullEinstokBeanstoxBelle IsleMomento AIHoneyFund"Homegrown" Boone's BourbonBlackout Coffee Co.Full Circle Brewing Co.Pasmosa Sangria
Dick Cheney, who became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W Bush's number two during 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died Monday. He was 84. Also: Sudan's military government meets to discuss its response after its last stronghold in the Darfur region was seized by paramilitaries; New Yorkers vote for their next Mayor, and scientists in Kenya find evidence that the first humans used stone tools. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, has died at the age of 84.His family said in a statement, “The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease," and that his family was with him as he passed. (NBC News) MUSICBad Company singer Paul Rodgers will no longer be attending Saturday's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Los Angeles. Having had 13 strokes since 2016, he's been ordered by his doctors not to fly. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQm1S2wE2wX/?igsh=MXhnaXA2MG9qZGs4Mw%3D%3D Ace Frehley fans have launched a campaign to make the late KISS guitarist an honorary astronaut. https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/campaign-ace-frehley-honorary-astronaut Dolly Parton just announced that her long-awaited SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville is officially open for reservations. https://people.com/dolly-parton-new-songteller-hotel-in-nashville-is-open-for-reservations-see-inside-11840773 Jimmy Eat World will release a new vinyl EP on November 14th. Failure compiles all the various singles they've released in the past five years plus the previously unreleased title track. Watch a video for that song on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyiQKcMJjOoShinedown have announced the lineup for their inaugural destination event, Shinedown's Lunatic Ball, October 23rd through the 25th in Miramar Beach, Florida. They'll play two different headline sets and will be joined by Bush, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Living Colour, From Ashes to New and more. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmvO35ieC7/Staind, Drowning Pool, Fozzy, 10 Years and Buckcherry have joined the Welcome to Rockville lineup, May 7th through the 10th at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Only two headliners have been announced so far -- My Chemical Romance and Bring Me the Horizon. The full lineup will be revealed soon. https://x.com/RockvilleFest/status/1985394566548062238 TVJimmy Fallon announced "People" magazine's Sexiest Man Alive last night, and it's Jonathan Bailey from "Bridgerton". He's Lord Anthony Bridgerton. https://people.com/jonathan-bailey-is-sexiest-man-alive-2025-11842000 The fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis has been canceled. https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/jake-paul-gervonta-davis-fight-canceled-netflix-1236569098/ The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the largest in the world, held in New York City each Thanksgiving morning. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2025/11/03/macys-thanksgiving-parade-performers-lineup/87070412007/ Jon Stewart has agreed to continue hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central once a week. https://variety.com/2025/legit/news/jon-stewart-renews-daily-show-host-late-night-1236568626/ MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS:RIP: Actress Diane Ladd has passed away. She was 89 years old. https://variety.com/2025/film/obituaries-people-news/diane-ladd-dead-wild-at-heart-laura-dern-mother-1236568764/ Charlie Sheen recently admitted that he'd had sexual encounters with men, back when he was a slave to the crack pipe. But now he claims we got the wrong idea. https://ew.com/charlie-sheen-addresses-misunderstanding-about-his-sexual-experiences-with-men-11840856 "Home Alone" is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month, and we might finally have an update on what some of the characters are up to now. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister in a new ad for Home Instead, a company that provides in-home, non-medical care for seniors. Rather than defending the house from the Wet Bandits, he's concerned about creating a safety plan for his mom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=8CEFoGUggfNVxx9T&v=9LD4lzjmjWg&feature=youtu.be AND FINALLYSo much for Ryan Seacrest being the safe choice: A traditional family values group has put "Wheel of Fortune" on their naughty list. https://onemillionmoms.com/current-campaigns/wheel-of-fortune-is-no-longer-family-friendly/ AND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES!Follow The Rizzuto Show @rizzshow on all your favorite social media, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Connect with The Rizzuto Show online at 1057thepoint.com/RizzShowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and polarizing vice presidents in American history, died at age 84. He served alongside President George W. Bush for two terms, a period that saw the 9/11 attacks and the start of two major wars. Cheney's family said he passed away due to complications of pneumonia, along with cardiac and vascular disease. John Yang looks back at Cheney's career and legacy. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
(November 04,2025)Dick Cheney, George W. Bush's VP, dies at 84. California voters head to the polls for special election. Trump threatens to cut funds if ‘communist' Mamdani wins mayoral election. Why plastic bags will be gone from California grocery stores next year.
In the 6 AM hour, Larry O'Connor & Julie Gunlock discussed: NY POST: LA Singer Says Her Gold’s Gym Membership Was Revoked After Heated Confrontation With ‘Man’ Using Women’s Locker Room WMAL GUEST: MATTHEW HURTT (Chairman, Arlington County GOP) on Virginia's Elections CNN: Dick Cheney, Influential Republican Vice President to George W. Bush, Dies Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Tuesday, November 4, 2025 / 6 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84. He was a major force in the Republican party for more than 30 years and served as vice president under former President George W. Bush. CBS News' Major Garrett reports. Voters will head to the polls in New Jersey and Virginia to elect new governors. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani faces off against Andrew Cuomo. Democratic strategist Joel Payne and Republican strategist Terry Sullivan break down what to know about the major contests. Hundreds of thousands of Dodgers fans celebrated the team's World Series victory, attending the parade on Monday. The Dodgers became the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series. CBS News' Carter Evans reports. How do you draw the line when someone's complaints go too far and impact your relationship with them? Psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma joins "CBS Mornings" to explain how to deal with toxic complainers. Cher's movie, music and fashion career spans six decades. The icon reflects on her legacy and what's next with "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King. Patti Smith is on the road while celebrating 50 years of her debut album, "Horses." She talks about her career and the stunning discovery she made while writing her new memoir. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Muere Dick Cheney, exvicepresidente de EE.UU. durante los dos mandatos de George W. Bush. Trump respalda a Andrew Cuomo en su candidatura por la alcaldía de Nueva York. Además, Virginia y Nueva Jersey van a las urnas para elegir gobernador.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
**Discussion begins at 7:10**The Life and Death Brigade on Gilmore Girls, Chuck Bass being kidnapped by a secret society during a college visit to Yale, Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker joining a dangerous secret society in the 2000 movie The Skulls... These are all pop culture references to one of the most famous secret societies on one of the most elite college campuses in the US. This society, which selects 15 members annually from one of the most exclusive campuses in the world, was allegedly inspired by the Freemasons. It is rumored that after graduation, members known as Bonesmen, are placed in high ranking positions in government, banking, law, education, and intelligence agencies to shape policy after graduation. The 2,600 Patriarchs, or members who have since graduated, include 3 former presidents - President William Taft, George HW Bush, and George W Bush; leaders in business - like the founder of FedEx, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune Magazines, the CEO of Blackstone, and dynasties like the Rockefeller and Ford families; as well was leaders in finance, politicians on the state and federal level, high ranking government advisors, supreme court justices, University professors/presidents, journalists, athletes, and Hollywood stars. The 2004 presidential election actually pitted 2 Patriarchs – George W Bush and John Kerry, against each other, with both refusing to comment when asked about their membership. What are the odds that the last 2 men standing in a battle for leadership of the US are both members of this secret society? Is this secret society really a breeding ground for a powerful network of people that are secretly running the US? Is it a branch of a larger network that with European ties manipulating us from the inside? Today we are going to learn about the secret society, and decide if it's just a club for high achieving college kids, or if there is something more sinister at play.Send us a textSupport the showTheme song by INDA
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac disease. Surrounded by family, Cheney leaves behind a legacy as one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in U.S. politics, serving under President George W. Bush and shaping post-9/11 foreign policy. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Broeske & Musson' on all platforms: --- The ‘Broeske & Musson Podcast’ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you listen to podcasts. --- ‘Broeske & Musson' Weekdays 9-11 AM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Facebook | Podcast| X | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and polarizing vice presidents in American history, died at age 84. He served alongside President George W. Bush for two terms, a period that saw the 9/11 attacks and the start of two major wars. Cheney's family said he passed away due to complications of pneumonia, along with cardiac and vascular disease. John Yang looks back at Cheney's career and legacy. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Confira os destaques do Jornal da Manhã desta terça-feira (04): O governo do Rio de Janeiro enviou um relatório ao Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) afirmando que a megaoperação policial nos complexos da Penha e do Alemão respeitou as determinações da Corte. Acompanhe os detalhes com o repórter Rodrigo Viga. O Ministério da Saúde promove o Dia D da Mobilização Nacional contra a dengue no próximo sábado (06). Mesmo com queda de 75% nos casos em relação a 2024, o país tem mais de 1,6 milhão de diagnósticos e quase 1.700 mortes em 2025. A repórter Danúbia Braga detalha o assunto. O assassinato da jovem Beatriz Munhoz, de 20 anos, é investigado pela polícia. Um dos suspeitos foi preso. A jovem foi baleada durante um assalto na Zona Leste de São Paulo. A repórter Julia Fermino detalhou o assunto. A Comissão de Constituição e Justiça (CCJ) da Câmara dos Deputados deve votar nesta terça-feira (04) o projeto de lei que classifica facções criminosas como organizações terroristas. O repórter Lucas Martins detalhou o assunto. Acompanhe a análise de José Maria Trindade. O ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, negou um novo pedido da defesa de Walter Braga Netto (PL) para que seja colocado em liberdade. O general foi condenado a 26 anos e seis meses de detenção. A repórter Janaína Camelo detalhou o assunto. A Câmara dos Deputados aprovou o projeto que permite tirar R$ 5 bilhões da meta de 2026 se o valor for gasto com Defesa. Em 2025, o gasto em Defesa pode ser de até R$ 3 bilhões, se for sancionado. A repórter Rany Veloso detalha o assunto. Antes da COP30, que acontece em Belém, ocorre nesta terça-feira (04) no Rio de Janeiro um fórum com líderes globais da COP30 para debater a agenda climática global. O repórter Rodrigo Viga detalha o assunto. O ex-vice-presidente dos Estados Unidos, Dick Cheney, morreu aos 84 anos. Ele serviu o presidente George W. Bush por dois mandatos. O repórter Eliseu Caetano detalhou o assunto. Essas e outras notícias você acompanha no Jornal da Manhã. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What will Cheney's legacy be in American politics and foreign policy? How did Cheney's role as Vice President under George W. Bush shape the modern Republican Party? How will historians remember his influence on the Iraq War and post-9/11 era? Join Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as they answer all this and more. Become a Founding Member: Go deeper into US politics every week with ad-free listening, members-only miniseries, early access to live show tickets and a bonus members-only Q&A podcast every week. Sign up at therestispoliticsus.com To save your company time and money, open a Revolut Business account today via https://www.get.revolut.com/z4lF/therestispoliticsus, and add money to your account by 31st of December 2025 to get a £200 welcome bonus or equivalent in your local currency. Feature availability varies by plan. This offer's available for New Business customers in the UK, US, Australia and Ireland. Fees and Terms & Conditions apply. For US customers, Revolut is not a bank. Banking services and card issuance are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Visa® and Mastercard® cards issued under license. Funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through Lead Bank, in the event Lead Bank fails. Fees may apply. See full terms in description. For Irish customers, Revolut Bank UAB is authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania in the Republic of Lithuania and by the European Central Bank and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. For AU customers, consider PDS & TMD at revolut.com/en-AU. Revolut Payments Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 517589) Instagram: @RestPoliticsUS Twitter: @RestPoliticsUS Email: therestispoliticsus@goalhanger.com Producer: Fiona Douglas, India Dunkley Video Editor: Kieron Leslie Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Senior Producer: Callum Hill Head of Content: Tom Whiter Head of Digital: Sam Oakley Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ALSO: Myles Turner returns to Indy, vote on Avon schools referendum, and IMPD prayer vigil. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Former US vice president Dick Cheney, who served under President George W Bush from 2001 to 2009, has died aged 84. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone joined The Last Word to discuss Cheney's legacy and more of the latest news from the United States. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84, from the complications of pneumonia, and cardiac and vascular disease. George W Bush says his VP's death is a "loss to the nation". Cheney's family say he taught his children and grandchildren fly-fishing, to love their country, and to live lives of courage, honour, love and kindness. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking he was the most powerful vice president in American history, pushing for the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq, among other things. Cheney gained the nickname Darth Vader for his role as well as his health, Arnold said, the VP experiencing his first heart attack at 37, with four more following before he got a heart transplant at 71. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former Vice President to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84 today. He was widely viewed as one of the most polarizing, but also influential, Vice Presidents ever.Elsewhere, New Yorkers are taking the polls today to elect a new Mayor.Joining Seán Defoe to discuss all is White House Columnist for the Hill ,Niall Stanage.Image: Reuters
In Anlehnung an den 90er Jahre Dancefloor Hit von Dune – Hardcore Vibes – sprechen wir heute endlich einmal über die gute alte Zeit. Nicht immer nur heute heute und dann Morgen – wir schwelgen, dank Dr. Dynamite, in einem Land vor unserer Zeit. Zwar geht's diesmal wieder nicht um Bon Jovi, dafür erinnern wir uns aber zurück an die schöne Zeit, in der George W. Bush noch der größte anzunehmende politische Unfall zu sein schien. Tatsächlich versuchen wir das Thema „früher war alles besser“ einmal kritisch zu reflektieren und fragen uns, ob es wirklich so schön war, im Bademantel „Wetten Dass..?“ zu gucken. Wir bauen hier eine Rampe, um in der kommenden Episode einmal darüber zu sprechen, was heute alles gut ist und wobei wir im Jahr 2026 gerne mal den Bademantel tragen wollen. Freut Euch auf ein knappes Stündchen Spaß und darauf mal wieder das Fenster im Kopf aufzumachen: KSS – der Podcast von gestern, heute und morgen.
El que fue número dos de George W. Bush y arquitecto de su "guerra contra el terrorismo" falleció por complicaciones médicas a los 84 años.
IBGE divulga os sobrenomes mais populares pela 1ª vez. CPMI do INSS determina prisão de presidente de confederação de pescadores. Vereadora Gigi Castilho é alvo de operação contra desvio de verba pública. Mais de 30 suspeitos são presos na Bahia em operação contra o Comando Vermelho. Dick Cheney, ex-vice-presidente dos EUA e arquiteto da 'guerra ao terror' de George W. Bush, morre aos 84 anos.
Jon Stewart has been a leading figure in political comedy since before the turn of the millennium. But compared to his early years on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show”—when Stewart was merciless in his attacks on George W. Bush's Administration—these are much more challenging times for late-night comedians. Jimmy Kimmel nearly lost his job over a remark about MAGA supporters of Charlie Kirk, after the head of the F.C.C. threatened ABC. CBS recently announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's program. And Stewart now finds himself very near the hot seat: Comedy Central is controlled by David Ellison, the Trump-friendly C.E.O. of the recently merged Paramount Skydance. Stewart's contract comes up in December. “You're going to sign another one?” David Remnick asked him, in a live interview at The New Yorker Festival. “We're working on staying,” Stewart said. “You don't compromise on what you do. You do it till they tell you to leave. That's all you can do.” Stewart, moreover, doesn't blame solely Donald Trump for recent attacks on the independence of the media, universities, and other institutions. “This is the hardest truth for us to get at, is that [these] institutions . . . have problems. They do. And, if we don't address those problems in a forthright way, then those institutions become vulnerable to this kind of assault. Credibility is not something that was just taken. It was also lost.” In fact, Stewart also directs his ire at “the Democratic Party, [which] thinks it's O.K. for their Senate to be an assisted-living facility.” “In the general-populace mind, government no longer serves the interests of the people it purports to represent. That's a broad-based, deep feeling. And that helps when someone comes along and goes, ‘The system is rigged,' and people go, ‘Yeah, it is rigged.' Now, he's a good diagnostician. I don't particularly care for his remedy.”This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 26, 2025. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks with Eddie Fishman, author of “Chokepoints: How the Global Economy Became a Weapon of War," about the rapid growth in the use of financial sanctions in the 21st Century, with each US president from George W. Bush on imposing sanctions at twice the rate of his predecessor. Drawing on history and his own experience from stints at the US State Department, Pentagon and Treasury, Eddie cites examples of successful and unsuccessful sanctions programs, arguing that the former generally seek to force specific behavioral changes from a targeted government, while the latter are often too ambitious. Sanctions, for example, that seek regime change leave government leaders with little incentive to negotiate. Presidents Bush's and Obama's actions against Iran that resulted in the Islamic state suspending efforts to create material for nuclear weapons production under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) exemplify the successful use of sanctions, Eddie says, adding that a weakness in US sanctions policy is the potential for political change. The Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. Contrary to some characterizations, particularly those from Russian officials, Eddie also argues that sanctions against the Putin regime have stunted Russia's economy and, consequently, its ability to wage war.
This week, the Holler sits down with Reed Galen—veteran GOP strategist turned democracy defender, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, founder of The Union, and host of The Home Front podcast.Reed opens up about his decades inside Republican politics—from running campaigns for John McCain, George W. Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, to walking away from the party when Trumpism took hold. He talks war stories from the campaign trail, what really happened inside the McCain–Palin operation, and why he believes both parties helped create today's political crisis.We dig into the collapse of trust in democracy, why working-class voters are abandoning the left, and how Democrats keep losing the messaging war. Reed doesn't hold back on the failures of the establishment, the rise of MAGA, and what it'll take to rebuild a politics rooted in belief, honesty, and results—not purity tests or platitudes.Connect with Reed at https://substack.com/@reedgalenThe Hometown Holler is made possible by the generous support of our monthly sustainers. If you find our work valuable, we invite you to consider becoming a sustainer on Patreon. Tap here to join our community and help us keep hollerin'!
Episode 513: Ballot With Butterfly Wings Part 1 of the 2020 Election This week host Dave Bledsoe got kicked out of an Andrew Cuomo election rally for constantly drunkenly screaming “Andy, let's go pick up some bitches!” (Again) On the show this week we turn the clock back twenty five years to the election that broke America. (We could have had a Lockbox!) Along the way we learn that Dave voted for Ralph Nader. (What an asshole) Then we dig into why we have an Electoral College. (Slavery.) From there we meet the men who were vying to lead the country into the 21st Century, one a boring politician and the other a dumbass fratboy with a drinking problem and a famous last name. From there we head to Florida for an explanation of why Florida is like it is. (Weird, filled with old people and alligators). We discuss the election night faux pas that left the media with egg on its face and shit in their nickers. Then we take a listen to the recently discovered recording of Al Gore's retracted concession speech to George W Bush. Our Sponsor this week is Ballot Express, when you need to rig an election fast, you need Ballot Express. We open with a painfully young Jon Stewart FINALLY calling the 2020 Election and close with Joel Goguen who has anger issues. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/sNYJ5ELTxBM?si=_hmhHHaK-cCTvf4M Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: THE POLLS; Poll Shows Either Candidate Within Reach of Victory https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/06/us/the-2000-campaign-the-polls-poll-shows-either-candidate-within-reach-of-victory.html The Florida Recount Of 2000: A Nightmare That Goes On Haunting https://www.npr.org/2018/11/12/666812854/the-florida-recount-of-2000-a-nightmare-that-goes-on-haunting Contested presidential elections Bush v. Gore https://millercenter.org/contested-presidential-elections/bush-v-gore Election night has been a big media event since electric lights first announced the winner in 1892 https://theconversation.com/election-night-has-been-a-big-media-event-since-electric-lights-first-announced-the-winner-in-1892-148413 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jon Stewart has been a leading figure in political comedy since before the turn of the millennium. But compared to his early years on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show”—when Stewart was merciless in his attacks on George W. Bush's Administration—these are much more challenging times for late-night comedians. Jimmy Kimmel nearly lost his job over a remark about MAGA supporters of Charlie Kirk, after the head of the F.C.C. threatened ABC. CBS recently announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's program. And Stewart now finds himself very near the hot seat: Comedy Central is controlled by David Ellison, the Trump-friendly C.E.O. of the recently merged Paramount Skydance. Stewart's contract comes up in December. “You're going to sign another one?” David Remnick asked him, in a live interview at The New Yorker Festival. “We're working on staying,” Stewart said. “You don't compromise on what you do. You do it till they tell you to leave. That's all you can do.” Stewart, moreover, doesn't blame solely Donald Trump for recent attacks on the independence of the media, universities, and other institutions. “This is the hardest truth for us to get at, is that [these] institutions . . . have problems. They do. And, if we don't address those problems in a forthright way, then those institutions become vulnerable to this kind of assault. Credibility is not something that was just taken. It was also lost.” In fact, Stewart also directs his ire at “the Democratic Party, [which] thinks it's O.K. for their Senate to be an assisted-living facility.” “In the general-populace mind, government no longer serves the interests of the people it purports to represent. That's a broad-based, deep feeling. And that helps when someone comes along and goes, ‘The system is rigged,' and people go, ‘Yeah, it is rigged.' Now, he's a good diagnostician. I don't particularly care for his remedy.”This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 26, 2025. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.
President Trump has been dropping hints that he will run for a third presidential term. Charlie Sykes joins Russell, Mike, and Clarissa to discuss if there's any merit to these claims. Elizabeth Neumann stops by to talk about the US's continued strikes on boats off the coast of South America. And, ChatGPT announces it will offer erotica content to adult users. Brandon Rickabaugh discusses spiritual formation for an AI world. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: -The Bulletin's AI Miniseries. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: -Join the conversation at our Substack. -Find us on YouTube. -Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Charles J. Sykes is a political commentator who hosted a conservative talk show in Wisconsin for 23 years. He was the former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, and is currently an MSNBC contributor. Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Salon, USA Today, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other national publications. He has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC and has been profiled on NPR. Elizabeth Neumann is a national security expert who has served across three presidential administrations: on the inaugural staff of the White House Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush, as an advisor to the office of the director of national intelligence during the Obama Administration, and as the Department of Homeland Security's deputy chief of staff and assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention in the Trump administration. Neumann is also a national security contributor for ABC News. Brandon Rickabaugh is the founder and director of NOVUS, a center dedicated to applying Christian wisdom for the renewal of public life and academia. He is the co-author of The Substance of Consciousness and the author of two forthcoming books: What is Consciousness? and The Unity of Consciousness and Self. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today's editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who was the warmup act for George W Bush at a speaking engagement in town earlier this week? Our guy Brian Belski! Great stuff from Belski in studio with us today on meeting the former President, his big career move and how he's feeling about the US economy.
Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here.Yesterday, Southern California Edison (SCE), the utility whose power lines may have started the devastating Eaton Fire, announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program. Under the program, people affected by the fire can receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in compensation, in a matter of months rather than years—but in exchange, they must give up their right to sue.It should come as no surprise that SCE, in designing the program, sought the help of Kenneth Feinberg. For more than 40 years, often in the wake of tragedy or disaster, Feinberg has helped mediate and resolve seemingly intractable crises. He's most well-known for how he and his colleague Camille Biros designed and administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. But he has worked on many other headline-making matters over the years, including the Agent Orange product liability litigation, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust, the multidistrict litigation involving Monsanto's Roundup weed killer—and now, of course, the Eaton Fire.How did Ken develop such a fascinating and unique practice? What is the most difficult aspect of administering these giant compensation funds? Do these funds represent the wave of the future, as an alternative to (increasingly expensive) litigation? Having just turned 80, does he have any plans to retire?Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ken—the day after his 80th birthday—and we covered all these topics. The result is what I found to be one of the most moving conversations I've ever had on this podcast.Thanks to Ken Feinberg for joining me—and, of course, for his many years of service as America's go-to mediator in times of crisis.Show Notes:* Kenneth Feinberg bio, Wikipedia* Kenneth Feinberg profile, Chambers and Partners* L.A. Fire Victims Face a Choice, by Jill Cowan for The New York TimesPrefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.Sponsored by:NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.Three quick notes about this transcript. First, it has been cleaned up from the audio in ways that don't alter substance—e.g., by deleting verbal filler or adding a word here or there to clarify meaning. Second, my interviewee has not reviewed this transcript, and any errors are mine. Third, because of length constraints, this newsletter may be truncated in email; to view the entire post, simply click on “View entire message” in your email app.David Lat: Welcome to the Original Jurisdiction podcast. I'm your host, David Lat, author of a Substack newsletter about law and the legal profession also named Original Jurisdiction, which you can read and subscribe to at davidlat.substack.com. You're listening to the eighty-fourth episode of this podcast, recorded on Friday, October 24.Thanks to this podcast's sponsor, NexFirm. NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. Want to know who the guest will be for the next Original Jurisdiction podcast? Follow NexFirm on LinkedIn for a preview.I like to think that I've produced some good podcast episodes over the past three-plus years, but I feel that this latest one is a standout. I'm hard-pressed to think of an interview that was more emotionally affecting to me than what you're about to hear.Kenneth Feinberg is a leading figure in the world of mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He is most well-known for having served as special master of the U.S. government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund—and for me, as someone who was in New York City on September 11, I found his discussion of that work profoundly moving. But he has handled many major matters over the years, such as the Agent Orange product liability litigation to the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund. And he's working right now on a matter that's in the headlines: the California wildfires. Ken has been hired by Southern California Edison to help design a compensation program for victims of the 2025 Eaton fire. Ken has written about his fascinating work in two books: What Is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11 and Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Ken Feinberg.Ken, thank you so much for joining me.Ken Feinberg: Thank you very much; it's an honor to be here.DL: We are recording this shortly after your 80th birthday, so happy birthday!KF: Thank you very much.DL: Let's go back to your birth; let's start at the beginning. You grew up in Massachusetts, I believe.KF: That's right: Brockton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of Boston.DL: Your parents weren't lawyers. Tell us about what they did.KF: My parents were blue-collar workers from Massachusetts, second-generation immigrants. My father ran a wholesale tire distributorship, my mother was a bookkeeper, and we grew up in the 1940s and ‘50s, even the early ‘60s, in a town where there was great optimism, a very vibrant Jewish community, three different synagogues, a very optimistic time in American history—post-World War II, pre-Vietnam, and a time when communitarianism, working together to advance the collective good, was a prominent characteristic of Brockton, and most of the country, during the time that I was in elementary school and high school in Brockton.DL: Did the time in which you grow up shape or influence your decision to go into law?KF: Yes. More than law—the time growing up had a great impact on my decision to give back to the community from which I came. You've got to remember, when I was a teenager, the president of the United States was John F. Kennedy, and I'll never forget because it had a tremendous impact on me—President Kennedy reminding everybody that public service is a noble undertaking, government is not a dirty word, and especially his famous quote (or one of his many quotes), “Every individual can make a difference.” I never forgot that, and it had a personal impact on me and has had an impact on me throughout my life. [Ed. note: The quotation generally attributed to JFK is, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” Whether he actually said these exact words is unclear, but it's certainly consistent with many other sentiments he expressed throughout his life.]DL: When you went to college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, what did you study?KF: I studied history and political science. I was very interested in how individuals over the centuries change history, the theory of historians that great individuals articulate history and drive it in a certain direction—for good, like President Kennedy or Abraham Lincoln or George Washington, or for ill, like Adolf Hitler or Mussolini. And so it was history that I really delved into in my undergraduate years.DL: What led you then to turn to law school?KF: I always enjoyed acting on the stage—theater, comedies, musicals, dramas—and at the University of Massachusetts, I did quite a bit of that. In my senior year, I anticipated going to drama school at Yale, or some other academic master's program in theater. My father gave me very good advice. He said, “Ken, most actors end up waiting on restaurant tables in Manhattan, waiting for a big break that never comes. Why don't you turn your skills on the stage to a career in the courtroom, in litigation, talking to juries and convincing judges?” That was very sound advice from my father, and I ended up attending NYU Law School and having a career in the law.DL: Yes—and you recount that story in your book, and I just love that. It's really interesting to hear what parents think of our careers. But anyway, you did very well in law school, you were on the law review, and then your first job out of law school was something that we might expect out of someone who did well in law school.KF: Yes. I was a law clerk to the chief judge of New York State, Stanley Fuld, a very famous state jurist, and he had his chambers in New York City. For one week, every six or seven weeks, we would go to the state capitol in Albany to hear cases, and it was Judge Fuld who was my transition from law school to the practice of law.DL: I view clerking as a form of government service—and then you continued in service after that.KF: That's right. Remembering what my father had suggested, I then turned my attention to the courtroom and became an assistant United States attorney, a federal prosecutor, in New York City. I served as a prosecutor and as a trial lawyer for a little over three years. And then I had a wonderful opportunity to go to work for Senator Ted Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington and stayed with him for about five years.DL: You talk about this also in your books—you worked on a pretty diverse range of issues for the senator, right?KF: That's right. For the first three years I worked on his staff on the Senate Judiciary Committee, with some excellent colleagues—soon-to-be Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer was with me, noted litigator David Boies was in the office—and for the first three years, it was law-related issues. Then in 1978, Senator Kennedy asked me to be his chief of staff, and once I went over and became his chief of staff, the issues of course mushroomed. He was running for president, so there were issues of education, health, international relations—a wide diversity of issues, very broad-based.DL: I recall that you didn't love the chief of staff's duties.KF: No. Operations or administration was not my priority. I loved substance, issues—whatever the issues were, trying to work out legislative compromises, trying to give back something in the way of legislation to the people. And internal operations and administration, I quickly discovered, was not my forte. It was not something that excited me.DL: Although it's interesting: what you are most well-known for is overseeing and administering these large funds and compensating victims of these horrific tragedies, and there's a huge amount of administration involved in that.KF: Yes, but I'm a very good delegator. In fact, if you look at the track record of my career in designing and administering these programs—9/11 or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill or the Patriots' Day Marathon bombings in Boston—I was indeed fortunate in all of those matters to have at my side, for over 40 years, Camille Biros. She's not a lawyer, but she's the nation's expert on designing, administering, and operating these programs, and as you delve into what I've done and haven't done, her expertise has been invaluable.DL: I would call Camille your secret weapon, except she's not secret. She's been profiled in The New York Times, and she's a well-known figure in her own right.KF: That is correct. She was just in the last few months named one of the 50 Women Over 50 that have had such an impact in the country—that list by Forbes that comes out every year. She's prominently featured in that magazine.DL: Shifting back to your career, where did you go after your time in the Senate?KF: I opened up a Washington office for a prominent New York law firm, and for the next decade or more, that was the center of my professional activity.DL: So that was Kaye Scholer, now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. What led you to go from your career in the public sector, where you spent a number of your years right out of law school, into so-called Biglaw?KF: Practicality and financial considerations. I had worked for over a decade in public service. I now had a wife, I had three young children, and it was time to give them financial security. And “Biglaw,” as you put it—Biglaw in Washington was lucrative, and it was something that gave me a financial base from which I could try and expand my different interests professionally. And that was the reason that for about 12 years I was in private practice for a major firm, Kaye Scholer.DL: And then tell us what happened next.KF: A great lesson in not planning too far ahead. In 1984, I got a call from a former clerk of Judge Fuld whom I knew from the clerk network: Judge Jack Weinstein, a nationally recognized jurist from Brooklyn, the Eastern District, and a federal judge. He had on his docket the Vietnam veterans' Agent Orange class action.You may recall that there were about 250,000 Vietnam veterans who came home claiming illness or injury or death due to the herbicide Agent Orange, which had been dropped by the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam to burn the foliage and vegetation where the Viet Cong enemy might be hiding. Those Vietnam veterans came home suffering terrible diseases, including cancer and chloracne (a sort of acne on the skin), and they brought a lawsuit. Judge Weinstein had the case. Weinstein realized that if that case went to trial, it could be 10 years before there'd be a result, with appeals and all of that.So he appointed me as mediator, called the “special master,” whose job it was to try and settle the case, all as a mediator. Well, after eight weeks of trying, we were successful. There was a master settlement totaling about $250 million—at the time, one of the largest tort verdicts in history. And that one case, front-page news around the nation, set me on a different track. Instead of remaining a Washington lawyer involved in regulatory and legislative matters, I became a mediator, an individual retained by the courts or by the parties to help resolve a case. And that was the beginning. That one Agent Orange case transformed my entire professional career and moved me in a different direction completely.DL: So you knew the late Judge Weinstein through Fuld alumni circles. What background did you have in mediation already, before you handled this gigantic case?KF: None. I told Judge Weinstein, “Judge, I never took a course in mediation at law school (there wasn't one then), and I don't know anything about bringing the parties together, trying to get them to settle.” He said, “I know you. I know your background. I've followed your career. You worked for Senator Kennedy. You are the perfect person.” And until the day I die, I'm beholden to Judge Weinstein for having faith in me to take this on.DL: And over the years, you actually worked on a number of matters at the request of Judge Weinstein.KF: A dozen. I worked on tobacco cases, on asbestos cases, on drug and medical device cases. I even worked for Judge Weinstein mediating the closing of the Shoreham nuclear plant on Long Island. I handled a wide range of cases where he called on me to act as his court-appointed mediator to resolve cases on his docket.DL: You've carved out a very unique and fascinating niche within the law, and I'm guessing that most people who meet you nowadays know who you are. But say you're in a foreign country or something, and some total stranger is chatting with you and asks what you do for a living. What would you say?KF: I would say I'm a lawyer, and I specialize in dispute resolution. It might be mediation, it might be arbitration, or it might even be negotiation, where somebody asks me to negotiate on their behalf. So I just tell people there is a growing field of law in the United States called ADR—alternative dispute resolution—and that it is, as you say, David, my niche, my focus when called upon.DL: And I think it's fair to say that you're one of the founding people in this field or early pioneers—or I don't know how you would describe it.KF: I think that's right. When I began with Agent Orange, there was no mediation to speak of. It certainly wasn't institutionalized; it wasn't streamlined. Today, in 2025, the American Bar Association has a special section on alternative dispute resolution, it's taught in every law school in the United States, there are thousands of mediators and arbitrators, and it's become a major leg in law school of different disciplines and specialties.DL: One question I often ask my guests is, “What is the matter you are most proud of?” Another question I often ask my guests is, “What is the hardest matter you've ever had to deal with?” Another question I often ask my guests is, “What is the matter that you're most well-known for?” And I feel in your case, the same matter is responsive to all three of those questions.KF: That's correct. The most difficult, the most challenging, the most rewarding matter, the one that's given me the most exposure, was the federal September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, when I was appointed by President George W. Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft to implement, design, and administer a very unique federal law that had been enacted right after 9/11.DL: I got chills as you were just even stating that, very factually, because I was in New York on 9/11, and a lot of us remember the trauma and difficulty of that time. And you basically had to live with that and talk to hundreds, even thousands, of people—survivors, family members—for almost three years. And you did it pro bono. So let me ask you this: what were you thinking?KF: What triggered my interest was the law itself. Thirteen days after the attacks, Congress passed this law, unique in American history, setting up a no-fault administrator compensation system. Don't go to court. Those who volunteer—families of the dead, those who were physically injured at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon—you can voluntarily seek compensation from a taxpayer-funded law. Now, if you don't want it, you don't have to go. It's a voluntary program.The key will be whether the special master or the administrator will be able to convince people that it is a better avenue to pursue than a long, delayed, uncertain lawsuit. And based on my previous experience for the last 15 years, starting with Agent Orange and asbestos and these other tragedies, I volunteered. I went to Senator Kennedy and said, “What about this?” He said, “Leave it to me.” He called President Bush. He knew Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was his former colleague in the U.S. Senate, and he had great admiration for Senator Ashcroft. And so I was invited by the attorney general for an interview, and I told him I was interested. I told him I would only do it pro bono. You can't get paid for a job like this; it's patriotism. And he said, “Go for it.” And he turned out to be my biggest, strongest ally during the 33 months of the program.DL: Are you the managing partner of a boutique or midsize firm? If so, you know that your most important job is attracting and retaining top talent. It's not easy, especially if your benefits don't match up well with those of Biglaw firms or if your HR process feels “small time.” NexFirm has created an onboarding and benefits experience that rivals an Am Law 100 firm, so you can compete for the best talent at a price your firm can afford. Want to learn more? Contact NexFirm at 212-292-1002 or email betterbenefits@nexfirm.com.You talk about this in your books: you were recommended by a very prominent Democratic politician, and the administration at the time was Republican. George W. Bush was president, and John Ashcroft was the attorney general. Why wouldn't they have picked a Republican for this project?KF: Very good question. Senator Kennedy told both of them, “You better be careful here. This is a very, very uncertain program, with taxpayer money used to pay only certain victims. This could be a disaster. And you would be well-advised to pick someone who is not a prominent friend of yours, who is not perceived as just a Republican arm of the Justice Department or the White House. And I've got the perfect person. You couldn't pick a more opposite politician than my former chief of staff, Ken Feinberg. But look at what he's done.” And I think to Senator Kennedy's credit, and certainly to President Bush and to John Ashcroft's, they selected me.DL: As you would expect with a program of this size and complexity, there was controversy and certainly criticism over the years. But overall, looking back, I think people regard it widely as a huge success. Do you have a sense or an estimate of what percentage of people in the position to accept settlements through the program did that, rather than litigate? Because in accepting funds from the program, they did waive their right to bring all sorts of lawsuits.KF: That's correct. If you look at the statistics, if the statistics are a barometer of success, 5,300 applicants were eligible, because of death—about 2,950, somewhere in there—and the remaining claims were for physical injury. Of the 5,300, 97 percent voluntarily accepted the compensation. Only 94 people, 3 percent, opted out, and they all settled their cases five years later. There was never a trial on who was responsible in the law for 9/11. So if statistics are an indication—and I think they are a good indication—the program was a stunning success in accomplishing Congress's objective, which was diverting people voluntarily out of the court system.DL: Absolutely. And that's just a striking statistic. It was really successful in getting funds to families that needed it. They had lost breadwinners; they had lost loved ones. It was hugely successful, and it did not take a decade, as some of these cases involving just thousands of victims often do.I was struck by one thing you just said. You mentioned there was really no trial. And in reading your accounts of your work on this, it seemed almost like people viewed talking to you and your colleagues, Camille and others on this—I think they almost viewed that as their opportunity to be heard, since there wasn't a trial where they would get to testify.KF: That's correct. The primary reason for the success of the 9/11 Fund, and a valuable lesson for me thereafter, was this: give victims the opportunity to be heard, not only in public town-hall meetings where collectively people can vent, but in private, with doors closed. It's just the victim and Feinberg or his designee, Camille. We were the face of the government here. You can't get a meeting with the secretary of defense or the attorney general, the head of the Department of Justice. What you can get is an opportunity behind closed doors to express your anger, your frustration, your disappointment, your sense of uncertainty, with the government official responsible for cutting the checks. And that had an enormous difference in assuring the success of the program.DL: What would you say was the hardest aspect of your work on the Fund?KF: The hardest part of the 9/11 Fund, which I'll never recover from, was not calculating the value of a life. Judges and juries do that every day, David, in every court, in New Jersey and 49 other states. That is not a difficult assignment. What would the victim have earned over a work life? Add something for pain and suffering and emotional distress, and there's your check.The hardest part in any of these funds, starting with 9/11—the most difficult aspect, the challenge—is empathy, and your willingness to sit for over 900 separate hearings, me alone with family members or victims, to hear what they want to tell you, and to make that meeting, from their perspective, worthwhile and constructive. That's the hard part.DL: Did you find it sometimes difficult to remain emotionally composed? Or did you, after a while, develop a sort of thick skin?KF: You remain composed. You are a professional. You have a job to do, for the president of the United States. You can't start wailing and crying in the presence of somebody who was also wailing and crying, so you have to compose yourself. But I tell people who say, “Could I do what you did?” I say, “Sure. There are plenty of people in this country that can do what I did—if you can brace yourself for the emotional trauma that comes with meeting with victim after victim after victim and hearing their stories, which are...” You can't make them up. They're so heart-wrenching and so tragic.I'll give you one example. A lady came to see me, 26 years old, sobbing—one of hundreds of people I met with. “Mr. Feinberg, I lost my husband. He was a fireman at the World Trade Center. He died on 9/11. And he left me with our two children, six and four. Now, Mr. Feinberg, you've calculated and told me I'm going to receive $2.4 million, tax-free, from this 9/11 Fund. I want it in 30 days.”I said to Mrs. Jones, “This is public, taxpayer money. We have to go down to the U.S. Treasury. They've got to cut the checks; they've got to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. It may be 60 days or 90 days, but you'll get your money.”“No. Thirty days.”I said, “Mrs. Jones, why do you need the money in 30 days?”She said, “Why? I'll tell you why, Mr. Feinberg. I have terminal cancer. I have 10 weeks to live. My husband was going to survive me and take care of our two children. Now they're going to be orphans. I have got to get this money, find a guardian, make sure the money's safe, prepare for the kids' schooling. I don't have a lot of time. I need your help.”Well, we ran down to the U.S. Treasury and helped process the check in record time. We got her the money in 30 days—and eight weeks later, she died. Now when you hear story after story like this, you get some indication of the emotional pressure that builds and is debilitating, frankly. And we managed to get through it.DL: Wow. I got a little choked up just even hearing you tell that. Wow—I really don't know what to say.When you were working on the 9/11 Fund, did you have time for any other matters, or was this pretty much exclusively what you were working on for the 33 months?KF: Professionally, it was exclusive. Now what I did was, I stayed in my law firm, so I had a living. Other people in the firm were generating income for the firm; I wasn't on the dole. But it was exclusive. During the day, you are swamped with these individual requests, decisions that have to be made, checks that have to be cut. At night, I escaped: opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, art museums—the height of civilization. During the day, in the depths of horror of civilization; at night, an escape, an opportunity to just enjoy the benefits of civilization. You better have a loving family, as I did, that stands behind you—because you never get over it, really.DL: That's such an important lesson, to actually have that time—because if you wanted to, you could have worked on this 24/7. But it is important to have some time to just clear your head or spend time with your family, especially just given what you were dealing with day-to-day.KF: That's right. And of course, during the day, we made a point of that as well. If we were holding hearings like the one I just explained, we'd take a one-hour break, go for a walk, go into Central Park or into downtown Washington, buy an ice cream cone, see the kids playing in playgrounds and laughing. You've got to let the steam out of the pressure cooker, or it'll kill you. And that was the most difficult part of the whole program. In all of these programs, that's the common denominator: emotional stress and unhappiness on the part of the victims.DL: One last question, before we turn to some other matters. There was also a very large logistical apparatus associated with this, right? For example, PricewaterhouseCoopers. It wasn't just you and Camille trying to deal with these thousands of survivors and claimants; you did have support.KF: That's right. Pricewaterhouse won the bid at the Justice Department. This is public: Pricewaterhouse, for something like around $100 million, put 450 people to work with us to help us process claims, appraise values, do the research. Pricewaterhouse was a tremendous ally and has gone on, since 9/11, to handle claims design and claims administration, as one of its many specialties. Emily Kent, Chuck Hacker, people like that we worked with for years, very much experts in these areas.DL: So after your work on the 9/11 Fund, you've worked on a number of these types of matters. Is there one that you would say ranks second in terms of complexity or difficulty or meaningfulness to you?KF: Yes. Deepwater Horizon in 2011, 2012—that oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico blew up and killed about, I don't know, 15 to 20 people in the explosion. But the real challenge in that program was how we received, in 16 months, about 1,250,000 claims for business interruption, business losses, property damage. We received over a million claims from 50 states. I think we got probably a dozen claims from New Jersey; I didn't know the oil had gotten to New Jersey. We received claims from 35 foreign countries. And the sheer volume of the disaster overwhelmed us. We had, at one point, something like 40,000 people—vendors—working for us. We had 35 offices throughout the Gulf of Mexico, from Galveston, Texas, all the way to Mobile Bay, Alabama. Nevertheless, in 16 months, on behalf of BP, Deepwater Horizon, we paid out all BP money, a little over $7 billion, to 550,000 eligible claimants. And that, I would say, other than 9/11, had the greatest impact and was the most satisfying.DL: You mentioned some claims coming from some pretty far-flung jurisdictions. In these programs, how much of a problem is fraud?KF: Not much. First of all, with death claims like 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombings or the 20 first-graders who died in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, at the hands of a deranged gunmen—most of the time, in traumatic death and injury, you've got records. No one can beat the system; you have to have a death certificate. In 9/11, where are your military records, if you were at the Pentagon? Where are the airplane manifests? You've got to be on the manifest if you were flying on that plane.Now, the problem becomes more pronounced in something like BP, where you've got over a million claims, and you wonder, how many people can claim injury from this explosion? There we had an anti-fraud unit—Guidepost, Bart Schwartz's company—and they did a tremendous job of spot-checking claims. I think that out of over a million claims, there may have been 25,000 that were suspicious. And we sent those claims to the Justice Department, and they prosecuted a fair number of people. But it wasn't a huge problem. I think the fraud rate was something like 3 percent; that's nothing. So overall, we haven't found—and we have to be ever-vigilant, you're right—but we haven't found much in the way of fraud.DL: I'm glad to hear that, because it would really be very depressing to think that there were people trying to profiteer off these terrible disasters and tragedies. Speaking of continuing disasters and tragedies, turning to current events, you are now working with Southern California Edison in dealing with claims related to the Eaton Fire. And this is a pending matter, so of course you may have some limits in terms of what you can discuss, but what can you say in a general sense about this undertaking?KF: This is the Los Angeles wildfires that everybody knows about, from the last nine or ten months—the tremendous fire damage in Los Angeles. One of the fires, or one of the selected hubs of the fire, was the Eaton Fire. Southern California Edison, the utility involved in the litigation and finger-pointing, decided to set up, à la 9/11, a voluntary claims program. Not so much to deal with death—there were about 19 deaths, and a handful of physical injuries—but terrible fire damage, destroyed homes, damaged businesses, smoke and ash and soot, for miles in every direction. And the utility decided, its executive decided, “We want to do the right thing here. We may be held liable or we may not be held liable for the fire, but we think the right thing to do is nip in the bud this idea of extended litigation. Look at 9/11: only 94 people ended up suing. We want to set up a program.”They came to Camille and me. Over the last eight weeks, we've designed the program, and I think in the last week of October or the first week of November, you will see publicly, “Here is the protocol; here is the claim form. Please submit your claims, and we'll get them paid within 90 days.” And if history is an indicator, Camille and I think that the Eaton Fire Protocol will be a success, and the great bulk of the thousands of victims will voluntarily decide to come into the program. We'll see. [Ed. note: On Wednesday, a few days after Ken and I recorded this episode, Southern California Edison announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.]DL: That raises a question that I'm curious about. How would you describe the relationship between the work that you and Camille and your colleagues do and the traditional work of the courts, in terms of in-the-trenches litigation? Because I do wonder whether the growth in your field is perhaps related to some developments in litigation, in terms of litigation becoming more expensive over the decades (in a way that far outstrips inflation), more complicated, or more protracted. How would you characterize that relationship?KF: I would say that the programs that we design and administer—like 9/11, like BP, plus the Eaton wildfires—are an exception to the rule. Nobody should think that these programs that we have worked on are the wave of the future. They are not the wave of the future; they are isolated, unique examples, where a company—or in 9/11, the U.S. government—decides, “We ought to set up a special program where the courts aren't involved, certainly not directly.” In 9/11, they were prohibited to be involved, by statute; in some of these other programs, like BP, the courts have a relationship, but they don't interfere with the day-to-day administration of the program.And I think the American people have a lot of faith in the litigation system that you correctly point out can be uncertain, very inefficient, and very costly. But the American people, since the founding of the country, think, “You pick your lawyer, I'll pick my lawyer, and we'll have a judge and jury decide.” That's the American rule of law; I don't think it's going to change. But occasionally there is a groundswell of public pressure to come up with a program, or there'll be a company—like the utility, like BP—that decides to have a program.And I'll give you one other example: the Catholic Church confronted thousands of claims of sexual abuse by priests. It came to us, and we set up a program—just like 9/11, just like BP—where we invited, voluntarily, any minor—any minor from decades ago, now an adult—who had been abused by the church to come into this voluntary program. We paid out, I think, $700 million to $800 million, to victims in dioceses around the country. So there's another example—Camille did most of that—but these programs are all relatively rare. There are thousands of litigations every day, and nothing's going to change that.DL: I had a guest on a few weeks ago, Chris Seeger of Seeger Weiss, who does a lot of work in the mass-tort space. It's interesting: I feel that that space has evolved, and maybe in some ways it's more efficient than it used to be. They have these multi-district litigation panels, they have these bellwether trials, and then things often get settled, once people have a sense of the values. That system and your approach seem to have some similarities, in the sense that you're not individually trying each one of these cases, and you're having somebody with liability come forward and voluntarily pay out money, after some kind of negotiation.KF: Well, there's certainly negotiation in what Chris Seeger does; I'm not sure we have much negotiation. We say, “Here's the amount under the administrative scheme.” It's like in workers' compensation: here's the amount. You don't have to take it. There's nothing to really talk about, unless you have new evidence that we're not aware of. And those programs, when we do design them, seem to work very efficiently.Again, if you ask Camille Biros what was the toughest part of valuing individual claims of sexual-abuse directed at minors, she would say, “These hearings: we gave every person who wanted an opportunity to be heard.” And when they come to see Camille, they don't come to talk about money; they want validation for what they went through. “Believe me, will you? Ken, Camille, believe me.” And when Camille says, “We do believe you,” they immediately, or almost immediately, accept the compensation and sign a release: “I will not sue the Catholic diocese.”DL: So you mentioned there isn't really much negotiation, but you did talk in the book about these sort of “appeals.” You had these two tracks, “Appeals A” and “Appeals B.” Can you talk about that? Did you ever revisit what you had set as the award for a particular victim's family, after hearing from them in person?KF: Sure. Now, remember, those appeals came back to us, not to a court; there's no court involvement. But in 9/11, in BP, if somebody said, “You made a mistake—you didn't account for these profits or this revenue, or you didn't take into account this contract that my dead firefighter husband had that would've given him a lot more money”—of course, we'll revisit that. We invited that. But that's an internal appeals process. The people who calculated the value of the claim are the same people that are going to be looking at revisiting the claim. But again, that's due process, and that's something that we thought was important.DL: You and Camille have been doing this really important work for decades. Since this is, of course, shortly after your 80th birthday, I should ask: do you have future plans? You're tackling some of the most complicated matters, headline-making matters. Would you ever want to retire at some point?KF: I have no intention of retiring. I do agree that when you reach a certain pinnacle in what you've done, you do slow down. We are much more selective in what we do. I used to have maybe 15 mediations going on at once; now, we have one or two matters, like the Los Angeles wildfires. As long as I'm capable, as long as Camille's willing, we'll continue to do it, but we'll be very careful about what we select to do. We don't travel much. The Los Angeles wildfires was largely Zooms, going back and forth. And we're not going to administer that program. We had administered 9/11 and BP; we're trying to move away from that. It's very time-consuming and stressful. So we've accomplished a great deal over the last 50 years—but as long as we can do it, we'll continue to do it.DL: Do you have any junior colleagues who would take over what you and Camille have built?KF: We don't have junior colleagues. There's just the two of us and Cindy Sanzotta, our receptionist. But it's an interesting question: “Who's after Feinberg? Who's next in doing this?” I think there are thousands of people in this country who could do what we do. It is not rocket science. It really isn't. I'll tell you what's difficult: the emotion. If somebody wants to do what we do, you better brace yourself for the emotion, the anger, the frustration, the finger pointing. It goes with the territory. And if you don't have the psychological ability to handle this type of stress, stay away. But I'm sure somebody will be there, and no one's irreplaceable.DL: Well, I know I personally could not handle it. I worked when I was at a law firm on civil litigation over insurance proceeds related to the World Trade Center, and that was a very draining case, and I was very glad to no longer be on it. So I could not do what you and Camille do. But let me ask you, to end this section on a positive note: what would you say is the most rewarding or meaningful or satisfying aspect of the work that you do on these programs?KF: Giving back to the community. Public service. Helping the community heal. Not so much the individuals; the individuals are part of the community. “Every individual can make a difference.” I remember that every day, what John F. Kennedy said: government service is a noble undertaking. So what's most rewarding for me is that although I'm a private practitioner—I am no longer in government service, since my days with Senator Kennedy—I'd like to think that I performed a valuable service for the community, the resilience of the community, the charity exhibited by the community. And that gives me a great sense of self-satisfaction.DL: You absolutely have. It's been amazing, and I'm so grateful for you taking the time to join me.So now, onto our speed round. These are four questions that are standardized. My first question is, what do you like the least about the law? And this can either be the practice of law or law in a more abstract sense.KF: Uncertainty. What I don't like about the law is—and I guess maybe it's the flip side of the best way to get to a result—I don't like the uncertainty of the law. I don't like the fact that until the very end of the process, you don't know if your view and opinion will prevail. And I think losing control over your destiny in that regard is problematic.DL: My second question—and maybe we touched on this a little bit, when we talked about your father's opinions—what would you be if you were not a lawyer?KF: Probably an actor. As I say, I almost became an actor. And I still love theater and the movies and Broadway shows. If my father hadn't given me that advice, I was on the cusp of pursuing a career in the theater.DL: Have you dabbled in anything in your (probably limited) spare time—community theater, anything like that?KF: No, but I certainly have prioritized in my spare time classical music and the peace and optimism it brings to the listener. It's been an important part of my life.DL: My third question is, how much sleep do you get each night?KF: Well, it varies from program to program. I'd like to get seven hours. That's what my doctors tell me: “Ken, very important—more important than pills and exercise and diet—is sleep. Your body needs a minimum of seven hours.” Well, for me, seven hours is rare—it's more like six or even five, and during 9/11 or during Eaton wildfires, it might be more like four or five. And that's not enough, and that is a problem.DL: My last question is, any final words of wisdom, such as career advice or life advice, for my listeners?KF: Yes, I'll give you some career and life advice. It's very simple: don't plan too far ahead. People have this view—you may think you know what you want to do with your career. You may think you know what life holds for you. You don't know. If I've learned anything over the last decades, life has a way of changing the best-laid plans. These 9/11 husbands and wives said goodbye to their children, “we'll see you for dinner,” a perfunctory wave—and they never saw them again. Dust, not even a body. And the idea I tell law students—who say, ”I'm going to be a corporate lawyer,” or “I'm going to be a litigator”—I tell them, “You have no idea what your legal career will look like. Look at Feinberg; he never planned on this. He never thought, in his wildest dreams, that this would be his chosen avenue of the law.”My advice: enjoy the moment. Do what you like now. Don't worry too much about what you'll be doing two years, five years, 10 years, a lifetime ahead of you. It doesn't work that way. Everybody gets thrown curveballs, and that's advice I give to everybody.DL: Well, you did not plan out your career, but it has turned out wonderfully, and the country is better for it. Thank you, Ken, both for your work on all these matters over the years and for joining me today.KF: A privilege and an honor. Thanks, David.DL: Thanks so much to Ken for joining me—and, of course, for his decades of work resolving some of the thorniest disputes in the country, which is truly a form of public service.Thanks to NexFirm for sponsoring the Original Jurisdiction podcast. NexFirm has helped many attorneys to leave Biglaw and launch firms of their own. To explore this opportunity, please contact NexFirm at 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com to learn more.Thanks to Tommy Harron, my sound engineer here at Original Jurisdiction, and thanks to you, my listeners and readers. To connect with me, please email me at davidlat@substack.com, or find me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, at davidlat, and on Instagram and Threads at davidbenjaminlat.If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate, review, and subscribe. Please subscribe to the Original Jurisdiction newsletter if you don't already, over at davidlat.substack.com. This podcast is free, but it's made possible by paid subscriptions to the newsletter.The next episode should appear on or about Wednesday, November 12. Until then, may your thinking be original and your jurisdiction free of defects.Thanks for reading Original Jurisdiction, and thanks to my paid subscribers for making this publication possible. 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Former President George W Bush spoke to a crowd in town last night at a local golf course. Who would you most like to see in a speaking engagement in person?
Chad welcomes a wide variety of topics during Text-a-Topic over the first half of the hour before a conversation about George W Bush holding a speaking engagement in town last night and the people we'd most like to see in a similar setting.
In this episode of Personally Speaking Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Fox News Channel's Dana Perino. Dana currently co-anchors “America's Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino” and she serves as co-host of “The Five”, one of the most popular shows on cable television. Prior to joining Fox News Channel, Dana served as the White House press secretary for President George W. Bush. Dana is a New York Times bestselling author and her latest book is titled, “I Wish Someone Had Told Me…” She talks about her life, her career, her marriage and the faith and values that matter to her most.Support the show
On Tuesday's show: Think your electricity bill has been high lately? You might be surprised by how much some of your fellow Texans say they're being charged for power, month to month. We examine the findings from a new survey on the financial strain energy bills are putting on Texans.Also this hour: Texas Monthly writer Skip Hollandsworth discusses some noteworthy crimes committed in Texas by women. It's the subject of his latest book, She Kills.Then, Houston native Diane Ravitch was once a firm proponent of standardized testing and school choice, and she was a key figure in President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind policies -- until she changed her mind. We find out why, which she addresses in her book, An Education.And we meet the team behind lo-fi puppets + stuff, who make puppets and practice the art of puppetry in various forms.Watch
Chelsea Handler jokes about meeting George W. Bush in her Netflix special, "The Feeling".
A unanimous three-judge appeals court panel has ruled that Trump cannot deploy troops to the streets of Chicago. The judges on the panel were appointed by George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.The judges' pointedly schooled Trump and his administration by stating: "Political opposition is not rebellion".For nightly live Law Talks, please join Glenn on Substack: glennkirschner.substack.comIf you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: / glennkirschner If you'd like to support Glenn and buy Team Justice and Justice Matters merchandise visit:https://shop.spreadshirt.com/glennkir...Check out Glenn's website at https://glennkirschner.com/Follow Glenn on:Threads: https://www.threads.net/glennkirschner2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glennkirschner2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glennkirsch...Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glennkirschn...TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/glennkirschner2See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
7. Bucharest 2008 and the Failed Bid to Prevent Russian Aggression. Serhii Plokhy (Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University) discusses how Vladimir Putin's powerful presidency, rooted in a manipulated super-presidential constitution, enabled him to assert the right to dictate which countries could align with the West. The April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest was a critical turning point. Though the US, led by George W. Bush, favored inviting Ukraine and Georgia to join the alliance, Western allies, notably Germany, opposed the idea, leading to a split. The outcome—a promise of future membership with no specifics—was the "worst outcome possible." Putin used this weakness, starting a war in Georgia months later, effectively annexing territory and disqualifying Georgia from joining NATO due to territorial conflicts. This demonstrated that Ukraine and Georgia had exposed themselves to future Russian attacks by publicly seeking NATO membership without securing "meaningful Western support," meaning military aid. Domestically, Putin viewed the 2004 Orange Revolution, which rejected his preferred candidate Viktor Yanukovych, as a threat to his own power structure. Yanukovych later returned and, in 2013, was bribed and pressured by Russia not to sign an EU association agreement, sparking the Euromaidan Revolution which served as a stepping stone toward the 2014 Crimean annexation.