Podcasts about Lowdown

Reminder: Join us live this Thursday at 6pm CT for Happy Hour with Hightower!If you're ever asked to define the word oxymoron, just say, “Congressional ethics.” People instinctively burst out guffawing at the absurdity of linking Congress to upright behavior.But, surprisingly, Republican congressional leaders say they're now taking a bold stand for a little less corruption among their own members, targeting lawmakers who've been secretly enriching themselves through “insider stock trading.” Actually, the leaders were forced to support this bit of reform because of public outrage over the dirty dealing of Rep. Rob Bresnahan. This multimillionaire Republican was caught using his insider position last year to profit from the GOP's gutting of Medicaid benefits for poor people.So, last month, the party's designated ethics watchdog, Bryan Steil, rose on his hind legs to introduce the Stop Insider Trading Act. “If you want to trade stocks,” Steil howled in operatic outrage, “go to Wall Street.”Bravissimo! Except it was a fraud. Far from stopping the self-enriching stock scams of lawmakers like Bresnahan, Steil's bill basically legalizes their corrupt transactions. For example, members could keep trading stocks in corporations they supposedly oversee. And, in the loopiest of loopholes, sneaky lawmakers are authorized to have their spouses buy and sell stocks on the member's behalf.Then, showing his party's true colors, Steil exclaimed that we outsiders should not even push Congress to pass an honest, outright ban on insider trading – because that would discourage wealthy business executives from choosing to enter “public service.”Hello, that gives us two reason to demand a ban – (first) to impose a minimal ethical standard on lawmakers, and (second) to shoo off self-serving monopolists and plutocrats from controlling the public's agenda.Do something!If you're fed up with rigged congressional systems of corruption, check out Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), who call Steil's act a “joke,” and are working to pass the Restore Trust in Congress Act.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

WARNING: News headlines can give you a headache.For example, take typical headlines on today's environmental stories:* Earth's climate getting catastrophically hotter, faster* Greenhouse pollution increasing again* President calls global warming a “hoax” * Fracking executive now runs Energy Department * US funding new coal plants * White House abruptly cancels wind-power projects.Whew! My head hurts. The negativity in such headlines tells people that grassroots activism demanding clean energy and environmental sanity is futile, for government has been shanghaied by a political cabal of corporate executives.But wait – while it doesn't get front page treatment, a bracing wind of change is blowing in from the countryside! It turns out that producers, funders, and consumers of alternative energy have not rejected a brighter, sustainable future just because profiteers and politicians command us to follow them off the cliff.Indeed, here's a surprising development that the calcified defenders of dirty monopolized fuels could not have imagined only 10 years ago: Even in the fossilized Kingdom of Texas, solar power now provides more electricity to our people than does King Coal! Despite relentless efforts by our corrupt governor and top Republican officials to rig the marketplace against renewable energy, solar arrays and wind turbines are soon to pass Big Oil's fracked gas as the top supplier of electricity to Texas homes and businesses.Here's an uplifting headline for you: Last year, wind, sun, and other renewable sources surged past coal as America's number one source of electric power. As a leading climate scientist concludes: “We are at the end of the fossil fuel economy.” So, keep pushing.Do something! Want to keep pushing for environmental wins in Texas? Check out the Texas Campaign for the Environment, who have scored some great wins and continue to push for more. Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Miami Dolphins On SI Publisher Alain Poupart is joined by Green Bay Packers On SI Publisher Bill Huber to get first-hand feedback on new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, head coach Jeff Hafley, assistants who could follow him to Miami, QB Malik Willis, and more. Make sure to follow Alain on Twitter at @PoupartNFL and Blusky at @alainpoupart.bsky.social, and for more (free) Miami Dolphins content, visit Miami Dolphins on SI at si.com/nfl/dolphins.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. The season finale wrapped everything up in a fairly tidy bow, even including a wedding (for Francis's mom). Overall, we enjoyed this show, even as it swung from silly to serious and back.For next week, we'll binge all of season 2 of A Man on the Inside and discuss it on our Wednesday episode. We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

One of the most obnoxious sounds in nature is the whine of a Wall Street banker. It's a cross between the tantrum of a peevish brat and the blathering of a sputtering old plutocrat.Consider the long, piteous whimper of Jamie Dimon, potentate of the powerful JPMorgan Chase banking empire. He constantly whines about laws to restrict banker greed, even toting around a Rube Goldberg-style cartoon depicting a tangle of rules that, he squeals, is choking poor Wall Streeters like him.Before you break into tears about Jamie's plight, though, notice that he and his bank are not choking on rules, but gorging on riches. Dimon himself pocketed – get this -- $770 million in personal pay last year.Golly, we should all suffer like poor Jamie!And he's hardly alone in singing the “Talking Banker Blues,” for that elite clique has long pouted that they're paupers compared to the billionaires of high tech. So, mounting an odd boardroom “labor action,” bankers have been getting drastic payhikes. The CEO of Citigroup, for example, recently set a new bottom line expectation for top-floor bankers: A 2025 paycheck of more than $100 million!How can a business lavish such a windfall on one guy? Easy. The CEO slashed tens of thousands of bank employees from Citi's payroll last year, so he got their pay.Woody Guthrie once wrote a parody of such predatory behavior, singing “I am a jolly banker, A jolly banker am I.” Today's Wall Street aristocrats are jolly, too, bloating their extravagant wealth by taking wages and livelihoods from thousands of their own employees. As Woody might sing, that's how inequality “happens.”Do something!Wanna fight the bankers and their rigged systems? Americans for Financial Reform thinks that “the financial system should serve an economy where everyone can thrive, not just enrich a powerful few.” Sounds great to us! Check them out at ourfinancialsecurity.org.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. This was another Jack-is-a-mess episode, even though there was a brief period of things going well for him. But his bad dad came around to ruin it all, as he frequently does.Next Tuesday, we'll continue with season 4, episode 11, "Cabin Fever." Tomorrow, we'll continue our discussion of a newer show, The Lowdown.

Phil gets things started by singing the praises of “The Lowdown” (and its emotional intelligence), and of Marc Hershon, who had this Sterlin Harjo-created Ethan Hawke-starring series on his list of the best television of 2025. Some casting news (regarding season 4 of “The White Lotus”) has Phil greatly enthusiastic. Then, for the first time […]

Trump & Putin - the despots at war with our worldIn this week's Lowdown, Nick Cohen talks to Professor Sam Greene - the Director of the Russia Institute at King's College London about Vladamir Putin and Donald Trump, and how about how much longer Russia can endure the continuing carnage and humiliation of its seemingly never ending aggression against Ukraine.What Putin intended to be a few days of Blitzkrieg in February 2022 will soon enter its fifth gruesome year and has already lasted longer than the so-called "Great Patriotic War" - which is how the Russians describe World War 2. That war led to more than 20 million Soviet Union deaths. The current slaughter is sending 1,000 Russian soldiers a week to the cemetery or the casualty ward.How much longer can Putin last? Sam Greene and Nick Cohen examine the resilience of Putin's corrupt authoritarian regime despite current challenges, analysing how the system maintains stability through widespread compliance and fear among citizens while retaining imperial assumptions about Russian dominance. They also discuss Russia's political future after Putin, considering the potential for authoritarian systems to evolve while maintaining control, and compare this to similar dynamics in the United States. Sam reveals that Putin has now equalled the number of political prisoners incarcerated by Cold War era Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.Putin and Trump - Parallels in Russia and USSam and Nick discuss the parallels between authoritarianism in Russia and the United States, focusing on how both regimes exert control through fear and compliance rather than direct force. Sam highlights the complacency of elites and institutions in the US noting how they accommodate the current administration's demands, similar to the Russian system where power is concentrated and opposition is silenced. They also touch on the effectiveness of Western sanctions against Russian oligarchs, which initially aimed to encourage a shift towards rule of law but ultimately failed as the oligarchs prioritised profit over safety. Their chat concludes with a reflection on the potential for political change, emphasising that authoritarian systems often change only after they have already begun to unravel.Read all about it!Professor Sam Greene @samagreene is Director of the Russia Institute @KingsRussia of King's College London. Sam has authored or co-authored two main books: "Moscow in Movement: Power & Opposition in Putin's Russia" (2014) and "Putin v. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia" (2019, co-authored with Graeme Robertson). Sam's Substack - TL;DRussia - is a must read for anyone wanting to keep up with events in Putin's Russia.Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

an Bardell is joined by Europeon football expert Andy Brassell, to run the rule over Tammy Abraham's career, since he departed England in 2021.Will he join Aston Villa?Apologies for the audio, Andy was in transit, it's been tidied as best we could! Get your Founders gear: https://foundersdesign.co.uk/ ______________________ People often ask me how they can support the channel/content. If you enjoy the content and want to make a donation then it's appreciated. Would never move to subscription model, but happy to accept donations if people want to help the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/danbardell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Interesting fact: While all federal officials take an oath that they will support the US Constitution, Supreme Court justices must also take a second (and very profound) oath of office.As New York Times judicial columnist Adam Liptak reports, each of the nine “supremes” must swear that they will “do equal right to the poor and the rich.” Yes, class fairness is not only a core element of justice, but it's supposed out to be a formal measure of Supreme Court behavior.Every justice is aware of this consequential, ethical requirement, since each one took the oath. How damning, then, that the Court's right-wing ideologues feel no twinge of conscience about flagrantly and frequently violating their own word of honor! Call the roll: Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. In case after case that pits corporate power against workers, consumers, small business, voters, communities, our environment, farm families—i.e., you and me—this plutocratic cabal rules for the rich.This month, an independent study of decisions by the Roberts Court revealed that two-thirds of its rulings favor wealthy powers over middle-income and poor people. Thus, our so-called “court of justice” is a primary pusher of inequality, especially through its farfetched decree that unlimited corporate political cash is “free speech,” and that corporations are “people.”Chief Justice Roberts smugly proclaims that the Constitution tells him whether the corporate giant or “the little guy” should win. “That's the oath” I took, he sniffs.This is Jim Hightower saying… Bovine excrement! It's obvious that plutocratic ideologues like him are using the Constitution like a ventriloquist dummy. And—hello, your honorableness—what about that other oath you took about equal fairness for the poor?Do something!There are groups that are working on holding the mighty Supremes accountable—what a world that will be! Check out:* The Alliance for Justice* Common Cause* Brennan Center for JusticeJim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 517 ~ January 15, 2026 Podcast Info / Topics There are a few easy exercises you can to to help you get ready for paddling season A whitewater race in Massachusetts celebrates its 71st year this year Take a break from sleeping pads and check out the Kelty Lowdown Cot

Episode 517 ~ January 15, 2026 Podcast Info / Topics There are a few easy exercises you can to to help you get ready for paddling season A whitewater race in Massachusetts celebrates its 71st year this year Take a break from sleeping pads and check out the Kelty Lowdown Cot

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. As we might expect from the penultimate episode of the season, things are looking very bad for Lee, as he makes the very poor decision to confront Pastor Mark in his own church (right after messing things up with Francis). Mentioned: TV critic Alan Sepinwall, who announced that the show will be back for a second season.Next Wednesday, we'll finish the season with season 1, episode 8, "The Sensitive Kind." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

In my childhood years, I got to experience something I've cherished ever since: Starry nights.I was lucky to spend time during the summers on my Aunt Eula's and Uncle Ernest's tenant farm in Northeast Texas. With no TV or electronics, we made our own entertainment in the evenings, including “turning on” nature's Big Show. This meant rolling an old bed outdoors as darkness fell, so we could lay back, look up, and marvel at the endless expanse of constellations, comets, the Milky Way, planets, and other wonders of the cosmos. Today, though, 80 percent of Americans never see the starry night, for the artificial glare of city lights blots out nature's spectacular display.But wait – billionaires to the rescue! Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, and other high-tech demigods who're spending trillions to foist a brave new world of artificial intelligence on us, claim that their scheme will actually relight the night sky!For real? Of course not.It turns out that they can't get enough cheap land and energy on Earth to supply the phantasmagoric sprawl of data centers their AI hustle will demand. So, they're going to put massive clusters of these systems into orbit, tethered to miles of solar mirrors stretching across our sky. While that means nature's stars-and-stuff will be even more obscured, they say that instead of watching the cosmos, we Earthlings can enjoy the artificial twinkle of their corporate data centers.This is Jim Hightower saying… Lest you think that, surely they wouldn't do this, note that those arrogant billionaire Lords of the Night are already investing humongous sums of money in space data centers As the CEO of one called “Starcloud” bluntly says: “It's not a debate. It's going to happen.”Do something!Not surprisingly, fighting for a quiet night sky is a difficult and overlooked area of activism. Here are some folks we found working on the issue—if you know of more, leave ‘em in the comments!* Dark Sky International works to create and preserve localities from light pollution, and they've started to address the impact of satellites, too. Here's a paper they released late last year.* On the nerdier side of things, the International Astronomical Union (IAU)'s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky (CPS) — if that isn't a mouthful, we don't know what is — is working to mitigate the negative impact of satellite constellations. (The image used above is courtesy of the IAU.)Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. This Ben-centric episode gave us a face-to-face meeting of bad dads, as Ben paid Charles Widmore a visit. On the island, Locke's flock worked together to take care of Claire and Aaron, and Bernard showed off a new skill.Next Tuesday, we'll continue with season 4, episode 10, "Something Nice Back Home." Tomorrow, we'll continue our discussion of a newer show, The Lowdown.

Dan Bardell is joined by French football expert Jonathan Johnson for a full LOWDOWN on Aston Villa's signing of Brian Madjo.

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what's going on in the world of TV, then dive into the season 2 premiere of The Pitt and season 2 episode 4 of Fallout.Was there a secret final episode of Stranger Things all along? How's the new CBS Evening News broadcast going these days? And who do we think will win the very first Legacy Award Emmy? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more.Homework for next week:The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 (HBO Max)Fallout Season 2 Episode 5 (Prime Video)Shownotes:03:04 - TV News‘Stranger Things 5' Becomes Netflix's No. 9 Most Popular English-Language Series of All Time With 105.7 Million Views So FarThe Pitt renewed for Season 3‘The Lowdown' Renewed for Season 2 at FX and HuluEmmys announce Legacy AwardTony Dokoupil's ‘CBS Evening News' Debut Included a Big Flub, but You Won't See It on Streaming — Here's Why29:38 - Stranger Things season 5 finale discussionConformity Gate46:15 The Pitt Season 2Episode 1 - 7:00 A.M.1:53:40 - Fallout Season 2Episode 4 - The Demon in the SnowLinks:Check out Sarah Marrs' work at Lainey GossipListen to Patrick's videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick's newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David's free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent polling confirms what you'd hear if you talked to people at most any Chat & Chew Café across America – namely, our political system is broken.In fact, nearly all of us feel that way. While people strongly believe that representative democracy is the best system, they can plainly see that what we have today is neither democracy nor representative. Washington and most state governments routinely enact policies and budgets benefitting über-rich political donors, while cutting programs that regular people want and need.It's not just that the system is failing to do what grassroots America wants done, while doing what most people oppose, but that the insiders in charge, whether Republican or Democrat, don't listen… or really care.At the core of this dangerous disconnect is the fact that our highly-touted democratic ambitions have devolved into a moneyed autocracy, a self-perpetuating political system operating independent of the popular will. The issue of all 2026 issues is this: Money rules. Very Big Money, mostly anti-democracy, billionaire money.Trump, Congress, the courts, governors – and especially the billionaires – know this. They wink at it, rely on it, and even cynically proclaim that giving and receiving unlimited, secret, political money is the new coin of democratic policy making – even superior to winning electoral votes.Now, however, We the People are also clearly seeing this perversion of our fundamental democratic ideals and rights. Some 80 percent of Americans (including 72% of Republicans) say people who donate to campaigns have too much influence. Our job in 2026 is to confront the billionaire corrupters and political takers head-on, turning people's rising awareness and anger into “little-d” democratic action.Do something!To fight the influence of big money in politics, check out these organizations' work:* Public Citizen* Our Revolution* Common Cause* Brennan Center* Move to AmendJim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. Like the previous episode, this one featured an amazing performance from a beloved actor, Graham Greene, but no Francis. Also like many previous episodes, it featured Lee making some very dumb decisions. We need him to shape up, soon! Mentioned: Paul Sparks as Pastor Mark.Next Wednesday, we'll continue with season 1, episode 7, "Tulsa Turnaround." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

There's greed… and then there's the nauseating greed of profiteering corporations that make a killing – literally – by knowingly contaminating people's water, air, land, and families.Such rank, moral corruption is hard to fathom... but it's not hard to find. For one breathtaking example, consider Freeport-McMoRan.This global mining behemoth is one of America's most aggressive spoliers of land, air, water, and health – including from its sprawling copper smelter near Phoenix, Arizona. This operation is a major spreader of lead pollution, a neurotoxin that's particularly harmful to children, causing pain, seizures, and learning disabilities.But wait, where's our Environmental Protection Agency? Good question. In fact, until last year, EPA was requiring Freeport to install technology to cut those poisonous emissions. The giant squealed like a stuck pig, though, crying that the $60 million cost for the lifesaving equipment was too “burdensome” – even though that wouldn't even be a drop in Freeport's $2-billion-a-year bucket of profits.Sure enough, in October, Trump's new EPA honcho rushed to provide pollution protection. Not for the children, but for the polluter! Indeed, Trump's corporate-coddling agency “super-streamlined” the regulatory process by essentially eliminating it – no public hearing required, no presentation of facts, to chance for victims to object. All Freeport had to do was send an email requesting regulatory relief, and – BAM! – Trump promptly exempted its Arizona smelter from having to clean up its act.Not only is this “free pass to pollute” a blunt proclamation of corporate rule, it also expresses Trump's deep contempt for working-class people. Imagine if that smelter was in Florida, poisoning the elites in his Mar-a-Lago resort. Then, he'd jump on it like a gator on a poodle.Do something!The Environmental Defense Fund was one of the primary organizations working on the Freeport-McMoRan issue; they've launched a Trump EPA Pollution Pass map that shows you all the places that have applied for presidental exemptions from pollution laws. Support their work by getting involved at edf.org.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. Despite having seen this episode before, Terri had no recollection of it. It dropped a lot of exposition about what happened to Michael and Walt when they left the island (uh, nothing good), and ended with a tragedy for Alex, which we're guessing was all part of Ben's evil master plan.​Next Tuesday, we'll continue with season 4, episode 9, "The Shape of Things to Come." Tomorrow, we'll continue our discussion of a newer show, The Lowdown.

Dare we think that the New Year holds tremendous promise for progressive change?Yes! As practically every pundit notes, Trump's White House menagerie of billionaires, grifters, haters, prima donnas, and ideological kooks has soured even many MAGA faithful. More importantly, grassroots progressives have been organizing and mobilizing across the country, and – like eager ball players looking forward to a good season – they're pumped up!So, what could go wrong?Don't look now, but the National Democratic Party's “Washington Club” of high-dollar donors, clueless consultants, corporate lobbyists, and old-line politicos are still controlling much of the Party's money, strategy, and message. Possessing all the magnetism of their go-slow leader, Chuck Schumer, their game plan is the same as always: Run a Big Money, don't-rock-the-boat, Washington-based campaign, shove-aside grassroots activists, rely on negative attack ads, and tell everyone (again) that Trump will defeat himself.As Casey Stengel wailed when he managed the comically inept 1962 New York Mets baseball team – “Can't anyone here play this game?”Luckily, though, those insider losers are no longer our real Democratic team. While they've been piddling around in Congress playing wiffle ball with the Trumpers, Bernie-style progressives have been rebuilding the Party of the People in every state with hard-hitting, slick-fielding, big-league DEMOCRATS.And voters are responding with an enthusiastic YES! From Coast to coast – already lifting Zohran Mamdani to victory in New York, Katie Wilson in Seattle, and state legislative races in Iowa, Georgia, and Mississippi.Let's keep pushing to make 2026 the year we quit moaning about the lackluster Democratic Party… and turn it into the bright new majority party.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

The scariest clown to ever appear on screen drives a storyline involving a fictional tribe in Maine. “IT: Welcome to Derry” uses horror writer Stephen King's 1986 novel as a jumping off point. The hit HBO Max miniseries provides a new Native American theme to the plot with some veteran Native talent in front of and behind the camara. It is one of the notable projects from 2025, a list that also includes Sterlin Harjo's “The Lowdown”, the TIFF Best Canadian Feature winner, “Uiksaringitara,” and SXSW Documentary Feature Special Jury Award winner, “Remaining Native.” We'll recall some of the best film and TV projects from the year and see what's in store for 2026. GUESTS Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Red Pop! News  Jason Asenap (Comanche and Muscogee), writer, critic, and filmmaker Sunrise Tippeconnie (Commanche, Navajo and Cherokee), director of programming at deadCenter Film and co-host of the Reel Indigenous Podcast Kimberly Guerrero (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Salish and Kootenai), actress, screenwriter, and professor at the University of California, Riverside Favorite films and television shows of the year Sunrise Tippeconnie: Tiger – (documentary short), director Loren Waters  Drowned Land – (documentary), director Colleen Thurston Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough – (short film), director Sabrina Saleha Free Leonard Peltier – (documentary), directors Jesse Short Bull and David France Siren of the Wood – (short film), director Christopher Corsy Jason Asenap: Tiger – (short doc), director Lauren Waters Endless Cookie – (animated film), directors Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver Remaining Native – (documentary), director Paige Bethmann The Lowdown – (television show), creator Sterlin Harjo Johnnie Jae: Guardian of the Land – (documentary), director LaRonn Katchia Inkwo for When the Starving Return – (animated short), director Amanda Strong Pow! – (animated short), director Joey Clift Courage – (documentary short), director Eric Michael Hernandez Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) – (feature film), director Zacharias KunukHere’s an extended interview with IT: Welcome to Derry star Kimberly Guerrero speaking on her role of Rose in the television series. She starts off describing her early career in Hollywood. https://nativeamericacalling-offload-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/123125-Kimberly-Guerrero-web-audio.wav

Your Daily Lowdown from HELLO! Never miss a story by signing for our newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/pwYg9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we head into a momentous election year, with state and national legislative seats up for grabs, even let-them-eat-cake Republicans are scrambling to sound sympathetic to today's hard-hit working-class families.Of course, tongue-clucking concern doesn't mean actually doing anything to help this majority of Americans – and most legislatures are doing exactly that: Nothing.In fact, you'd think the ones hurting in America are billionaires, for those same tongue-clucking lawmakers have been laser-focused this year on delivering monopoly protections, multibillion-dollar government subsidies, exclusive tax breaks, and even top government positions to the richest and greediest corporate profiteers. This is personally disgraceful and socially destructive… yet it has become business as usual.Why? What's causing America's so-called “representatives” to disregard the needs of a majority of their own constituents? The corrupting power of corporate money, of course, but a more fundamental cause is this: The class make-up of practically every legislative body. Millionaires-and-up now dominate. But most-telling, is who you don't' see: Working stiffs.While more than half of Americans are wage workers who overwhelmingly support progressive reforms to advance economic fairness and social justice, the elitist legislative structure shuts them out. Consider America's 7,300 state legislative seats – only one percent of Republican members and two percent of Democrats are working class! Ten states have zero working class members!As an old adage notes: If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. Labor laws, health care, campaign finance, AI regulation… again and again, workers are put on the corporate menu, because the lawmaking system is rigged to keep them from being at the table to represent themselves.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

So long, 2025. You've been a year. To finish it off, let's talk about the last four episodes of FX's The Lowdown. Thank you to our listeners for sticking with us for 4 years, and we hope 2026 will be the year you want! Be kind, and in the words of Rosebud Sioux citizen Bob Barker, please spay and neuter your pets.

Bill Frost (CityWeekly.net, X96 Radio From Hell), Tommy Milagro (SlamWrestling.net), and special guest star Rebecca Frost (Geekshow Podcast, TV Show: In Space!, ABC4's See It or Skip It) talk Animal Control, Best Medicine, The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (again), Ricky Gervais: Mortality, The Critics Choice Awards, Rebecca's top movies of 2025 (including Train Dreams, Marty Supreme, and One Battle After Another), Bill's top TV shows of 2025 (including Pluribus, The Lowdown, and It: Welcome to Derry), Movie Korner: The Running Man and MacGruber, Rassling News, Christy vs. The Iron Claw, and more.Drinking: Brewski German Pilsner from OFFICIAL TV Tan sponsor Bohemian Brewery.Yell at us (or order a TV Tan T-shirt) @TVTanPodcast on Threads, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, or Gmail.Rate us and comment: Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, Amazon Podcasts, Audible, TuneIn Radio, etc. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tvtanpodcast.substack.com

This holiday season, many of us will be taking to the skies to visit family or escape to warmer climes. So we're sharing a recent episode of our sister podcast, The Dose, which asks: “What do I need to know about in-flight medical emergencies?” Dr. Vincent Poirier, associate professor of emergency and aviation medicine at McGill University, senior medical advisor for Air Canada and medical consultant for Air Transat, explains what happens when a medical emergency occurs on board and how passengers can help prevent them.

Your Daily Lowdown from HELLO! Never miss a story by signing for our newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/pwYg9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In keeping with the season, I offer a little political anecdote about Christmas.More specifically, it's about the moral teachings of the biblical Jesus, which formed the ethical foundation of Christmas and gives Christianity itself its true gravity.The story is about a political clash some 60 years ago in Houston, when a boorish right-winger accosted the feisty mother of a renowned progressive populist lawmaker, US Rep. Bob Eckhardt. Bob, whom I later got to know and learn from, was a fierce battler for racial equality in a time when not all Texans were singing in Kumbaya harmony.Sure enough, at a public forum where Bob's mom was representing him, this bonehead loudly demanded to know why her son was trying to make “them [Black people] equal to whites.” Ms. Eckhardt cut off the fellow's ugly diatribe by, of all things, offering an apology! Her son's advocacy, she said, was not his fault, but hers: “You see, I raised him to be a Christian.”Today, however, Mother Eckhardt's put down might lack the clarity it had back then. This is a strange Christmas – concluding a year in which far right extremists have relentlessly perverted the profound and love-based Christianity of Jesus into a partisan ethic promising brutish rule. As we've seen, their “beatitudes” include repression of the poor, worship of Mammon, turning away strangers, hatred of thy neighbor… and so awful much more that rejects the values of Jesus – all in the name of establishing something they call “Christian Nationalism.”This is Jim Hightower saying… God bless America. And please hurry! But remember, God helps those who help themselves. That means you and me. So, let's work together to create a merrier, truer Christmas next year.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

--NSFW-- OTCB - 2025's Silent Night, Deadly Night. Merry Axemas!! Since the Madness Crew already did a KoF with the 2012 remake, Lowdown and F.U.Hunter decided to hack this film to pieces on it's own! Join the conversation! Email us at lowdownbrown.gui@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC: White Bat Audio - Broken Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio. Join Us Or Die at www.guipodcast.com

Your Daily Lowdown from HELLO! Never miss a story by signing for our newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/pwYg9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Daily Lowdown from HELLO! Never miss a story by signing for our newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/pwYg9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Try me ONCE… try me TWICE… try me THREE TIMES, and the Memphis tongue lashing emerges!   What did Monique Samuels say in the opening credits of the Real Housewives of Potomac? MAYBE IF YOU TRIED JESUS… YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO TRY ME! It's a rare day that I publicly address a comment or review (we all get or encounter them), but this one in particular… needed to be addressed. I gave y'all the option on social media: “Should Kendrick be naughty or nice for the holidays?” Well, clearly, y'all overwhelmingly voted NAUGHTY, so a holiday READ you get! PLUS: Marvel dropped a trailer, Stacey Rusch takes TOP HONORS, Wendy & Eddie Osefo's finances will be exposed, Kelli of the Real Housewives of Atlanta gets a victory (thanks to Phaedra Parks), and more! Download and listen today!   Listen to me on “The Mix with Mani” on Apple Podcasts! Listen to me on “The Mix with Mani” on Spotify! Watch the Avengers: Doomsday Teaser Trailer! Watch Stacey Rusch on “Reality with the King!”   *** HEY! Some of you have asked how you can show your appreciation for all the content provided by your mama's favorite Black geek. How about you buy me a beer/coffee? CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT! ***   New episodes of “I Ken Not with Kendrick Tucker” are released weekly!   DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE, RATE, AND REVIEW! I LOVE 5 STARS! EMAIL ME AT IKENNOTPODCAST@GMAIL.COM! FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM! FOLLOW ME ON THREADS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick welcomes Hollywood Reporter TV critic Dan Fienberg back for a packed conversation that jumps from recent SNL episodes to the new documentary “Breakdown: 1975,” along with a thoughtful look at the long, influential career of Rob Reiner. Dan also unveils his picks for the Best Television of 2025, spotlighting standouts like “The Lowdown,” “Andor,” “Pluribus,” “Adolescence,” and several others that made the year feel unusually strong for TV. The show closes with pure chaos as British bon vivant and game show impresario Slap Slapply makes his triumphant return. Nick and Esmeralda Leon square off in another round of wildly unpredictable trivia, trading correct answers, bad guesses, and plenty of mock outrage. It's loud, competitive, and exactly the kind of madness Slap was built for, making it a fitting way to wrap up the year. [Ep 414]

The high priests of Holy High Tech are in a huff, wailing that they're being bothered by you busybodies, Luddites, and commoners – ie, The People.Grandiose gabillionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos assert that they're not merely rich, but visionary pioneers! Stand back, they bark, for we're going to re-populate the world with a new species of artificially-superintelligent humanoids. Yet, to their astonishment, rather being hailed as geniuses, the oligarchs are being widely berated by us old-fashioned humans. Indeed, the level of public outrage has goaded lawmakers in all 50 states to enact some minimal protections for workers, communities… and humanity.Of course, Musk, Bezos, & Company have no tolerance for the democratic will, so they jetted to Congress, demanding passage of a 10-year ban on enforcing any state law regulating artificial intelligence. Shockingly, however the US Senate, normally a total corporate toady, rose up 99 to 1 to vote against the Silicon Valley potentates. Ninety-nine to one!So, the billionaires are now playing their trusty Trump card. Having greased the corrupt pay-to-play president with about a billion-dollars in campaign cash and personal deals, the AI profiteers got their payback this month. Quicker than you can say “quid pro quo,” Trump issued an executive order that – get this – orders himself to block our state governments from enforcing their own AI laws.This is Jim Hightower saying… And here's an extra fun fact: Trump didn't even have to write the special interest executive order himself. A Silicon Valley AI profiteer generously sent a draft for the president to sign, effectively awarding more power and wealth to the profiteer. And that's how Big Money rigs the system against you and me.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

As a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the MacArthur Genius Grant), you could say filmmaker Sterlin Harjo is a certified genius. He's responsible for creating the groundbreaking series “Reservation Dogs,” which follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. Now, Sterlin is back with a new series called “The Lowdown,” starring Ethan Hawke as a rough-and-tumble bookstore owner and "truthstorian" in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He sat down with Tom Power during this year's Toronto International Film Festival to talk about his career — and how being a genius really just means your friends will give you a hard time about it.

Paul Bettany and Will Sharpe don their frock coats for Amadeus on Sky and we speak to both of them on this week's show as they chat all things Mozart with Boyd. Plus we wrap up a festive haul of shows for under your Christmas tree, taking a look at Mart Gatiss' latest Ghost Story For Christmas, The Room in The Tower on BBC2, getting drawn into the sweedy underbelly of Texan high society in The Hunting Wives on ITV, and finally getting to take a ride with Ethan Hawke's ‘truthstorian' as The Lowdown finally splashes down here in the UK on Disney+. All that and Kay loses the power of speech, Boyd recounts a harrowing experience at The Ivy where the doorman didn't know who he was, and James reveals the embarrassing truth of how he spent 469 hours this year. (Episode 368)

Ho-Ho-Ho, wait till you hear about the gifts I'm giving to some of America's power elites for Christmas.To each of our Congress critters, I give my fondest wish that from now on they receive the exact same income, health care, and pensions that we average citizens get. If they receive only the American average, it might make them a bit more humble – and less cavalier about ignoring the needs of regular folks.To the stockings of GOP leaders who've so eagerly debased themselves to serve the madness of Donald Trump, I'm adding individual spritzer bottles of fragrances like “Essence of Integrity” and “Eau de Self-respect” to help cover up their stench. And in the stockings of Democratic congressional leaders, I'm giving “Spice of Viagra” and “Bouquet du Grassroots” to stiffen their spines and remind them of who they represent.For America's CEO's, my gift is a beautifully boxed, brand-new set of corporate ethics. It's called the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Going to pollute someone's neighborhood? Then, you have to live there, too. Going to slash wages and benefits? Then, slash yours as well. Going to move your manufacturing to sweatshops in China? Then, put your office right inside the worst sweatshop. Executive life won't be as luxurious, but CEO's would glow with a new purity of spirit.To the Wall Street hedge-fund hucksters who've conglomerated, plundered, and degraded hundreds of America's newspapers, I'm sending copies of “Journalism for Dummies” and offered jobs for each of them in their stripped-down, Dickensian newsrooms. Good luck.And what better gift to the Trump family – Donald, Ivanka and Jared, Eric, Donnie Jr., and the whole nest of them – than to wish that they live with each other constantly and permanently. No, really, each of you deserve it.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Actor Tim Blake Nelson is known for his work in "O Brother Where Art Thou," "Watchmen" and most recently, "The Lowdown." In addition to his work as a playwright, photographer, director and filmmaker, his second novel, Superhero, a satire about the Hollywood industry of blockbuster films, is available now. Nelson discusses the book and his many other projects.

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. Lee's reprieve from beatings and fights was short-lived, as this episode brought an old frenemy back into his life and they quickly came to blows. We didn't see much of Francis in this episode (Lee finally listened to our advice to leave her out of his dangerous life), but in return, we got a wonderful performance from Peter Dinklage. Mentioned: The Station Agent, also starring Dinklage.We're taking the next two weeks off for the holidays, so we'll continue with season 1, episode 6, "Old Indian Trick," on Wednesday, January 7. We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

Ahh, Christmas time! The joy of children's laughter! A time for caring, sharing, and giving!So, why not make this Christmas a time for giving something that most American children, families, and communities are now denied – and desperately need: a good child care system.This is a basic element of civilization, yet the leaders of our fabulously-rich nation have not only failed to provide a world-class care system, but they've left the pre-school children of working-class families with a failed, expensive mishmash that is no system at all. These are the same so-called “leaders” who're frantically spending trillions of dollars to create a new humanoid species powered by artificial intelligence – but they lack the common sense to invest a fraction of that on an early care network to nurture the human potential of America's human infants and pre-school children.The good news, however, is that we do not have to sit helplessly, wishing that Congress, Trump, or Santa Claus would deliver universal childcare to us. Rather We the People can give this gift to ourselves… and to our children's future. For inspiration, look to New Mexico.Twenty years ago, this very-low-income state ranked dead-last in child well-being. Finally, though, agitated parents, teachers, and children themselves became the agitators. Forging a fast-growing coalition called Invest in Kids Now, they organized, protested, confronted and ran against the state's moneyed establishment. With perseverance, their grassroots activism is now producing the change they want. 70 percent of voters approved the coalition's constitutional amendment requiring state funding for early childhood education. And last month, New Mexico became the first state in America to offer free childcare to every family.For more on the work of the coalition, go to InvestInKidsNow.org.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Conversamos acerca de una de nuestras series favoritas del 2025: THE LOWDOWN, de Sterlin Harjo. 00:00 - Intro00:33 - Heated Rivalry12:57 - Kill Bill y el Quentin Tarantino of it all35:24 - The Lowdown01:07:48 - Bye!

Ethan Hawke is an actor, filmmaker, and author. He recently starred in the film “Blue Moon,” available on major streaming platforms and in select theaters, and the FX series “The Lowdown,” available for streaming on HULU.https://bluemoonfilm.com/home/www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-lowdownhttps://linktr.ee/ethanhawke Perplexity: Download the app or ask Perplexity anything at https://pplx.ai/rogan. Get a free welcome kit with your first subscription of AG1 at https://drinkag1.com/joerogan Get Gameday Deals all season long only on Uber Eats. Order Now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having grown up in a small-business family, I'm a big proponent of free enterprise. But I detest corporatism.The corporate powers try to co-opt the enterprise label, but in fact they are direct opposites and opponents. Indeed, the word “free” in free enterprise is not a benign adjective, but a fiery verb. It expresses the constant struggle by families like mine – Main Street businesses, farmers, artists, co-ops, and others – to free-up their enterprises from the monopoly control and raw political force of domineering financial elites.That's why I admire the spunk of Azalea Fresh Market in Atlanta, Georgia. It's a new supermarket offering high-quality fresh foods at affordable prices to the people in a poor, inner-city neighborhood. Until Azalea opened, a few sad convenience store bananas were the only “fresh” grocery items sold in the area. City officials kept trying to entice major corporate grocery chains to open a store to serve that community. But it was always “no.” Mayor Andre Dickens says: “That totally burned me up.” So, “Screw it,” he declared, “We're gonna do it ourselves.”And they have! Partnering with a small local chain of enterprising grocers, Atlanta's public development fund financed Azalea, which is now providing good food at good prices for customers long disdained by corporatists.Corporate ideologues mindlessly bark that the public should not be involved in business. Hogwash! When the corporate establishment fails to deliver such basic needs as healthy food, housing and health care, the public can – and must – step into the void. To learn more about the benefits and potential of public enterprises, go to Institute for Local Self-Reliance: ilsr.org.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

MUSICViolet Grohl, daughter of Dave Grohl, released her first two solo singles, "THUM" and "Applefish", on Dec. 5. ICYMI: Filter, Filter Eleven and Local H are teaming up for a spring tour that starts March 5th in Wenatchee, Washington and wraps up April 1st in Cleveland. Tickets go on sale Friday. It looks like Oasis fans will definitely have to wait until 2027 to see the band again. Liam Gallagher answered fans' questions on X about continuing their reunion tour, and when one fan asked him to announce dates for next year already, Gallagher replied: “We're not doing anything in 2026 sorry.” Loudwire.com published a list of five '70s rock stars who never drank or did drugs. Could they seriously only find FIVE? https://loudwire.com/1970s-rock-musicians-no-drugs-alcohol/ 1. GENE SIMMONS2. FRANK ZAPPA3. ANGUS YOUNG4. TOM SCHOLZ5. TED NUGENT TVTwo TV critics from "Variety" chose the 10 best shows of 2025. List 1:1. "Adolescence", Netflix2. "The Pitt", HBO Max3. "Forever", Netflix4. "Paradise", Hulu5. "It: Welcome to Derry", HBO6. "Outlander: Blood of My Blood", Starz7. "A Thousand Blows", Hulu8. "Untamed", Netflix9. "The Gilded Age", HBO10. "Murdaugh: Death in the Family", Hulu List 2:1. "Andor", Disney+2. "Long Story Short", Netflix3. "The Pitt", HBO Max4. "Dying for Sex", FX5. "The Righteous Gemstones", HBO6. "Everybody's Live with John Mulaney", Netflix7. "The Lowdown", FX8. "The Gilded Age", HBO9. "Pluribus", Apple TV10. "The Studio", Apple TV https://variety.com/lists/best-tv-shows-2025/ MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS:Best movies of 2025 … Rolling Stone just released their list of the Top 20 movies of 2025. These are the Top 5. The question is … Did you see any of them? Did you see any of them in the theater?Nouvelle Vague (5) Train Dreams (4) Black Bag (3) Hamnet (2) One Battle After Another (1) I've never wanted a celebrity relationship more than I want Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson. Unfortunately, it sounds like it's not happening. At least not anymore. On the bright side, it sounds like they're in a really good place. https://people.com/pamela-anderson-on-liam-neeson-relationship-exclusive-11864356 AND FINALLY'USA Today' has picked its list for the worst Christmas songs of all time. They are: Alvin and the Chipmunks, ‘The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)' Elmo and Patsy, ‘Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer'NewSong, ‘The Christmas Shoes' Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, ‘The Little Drummer Boy' New Kids on the Block, ‘Funky Funky Xmas' 'USA Today' called their number one pick for worst Christmas song "the novelty song from Hell."Sure there's those annoying Christmas songs we hear every year . . . but let's take it up a notch with Christmas carols from HELL. 1. "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Mrs. Miller. She was discovered by the announcer from "Laugh-In", which should tell you all you need to know.2. "Silent Night" by Wing. Wing Han Tsang was from Hong Kong and started singing as a hobby when she moved to New Zealand. Surprisingly, she made it kinda big. "South Park" even parodied her back in the day.3. "White Christmas" by Tiny Tim. There's also "Silent Night", featuring a spoken-word break where he takes aim at hypocrites, fornicators, and child molesters. You know, just regular Christmas caroler stuff. 4. "Little Drummer Boy" by William Hung. Isn't it crazy to think there's a whole generation who has no idea who this "American Idol" treasure is? 5. "I Got a Cold for Christmas" by the Three Stooges. Not terrible, but not exactly a classic.6. "Jingle Bells" by William Shatner, featuring Henry Rollins. Yes, THAT Henry Rollins.7. "Santa Claws Is Coming to Town" by Alice Cooper, featuring John 5, Billy Sheehan, and Vinny Appice. 8. "The Night Before Christmas" by David Hasselhoff. This one is extra cheesy, but did you expect anything less?9. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Regis Philbin. This one has a cameo by a pre-Oval Office Donald Trump, who offers Rudolph a job in place of Santa.10. "Jingle Hell" by Christopher Lee. Yes, one of the greatest actors of all time. He dabbled in heavy metal later in life. This actually isn't his only holiday song, either. He also did covers of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Silent Night".11. "Away in a Manger" by the Brady Bunch. This one only features the vocal talents of Marcia, a.k.a. Maureen McCormick. It's from an album called "Merry Christmas from the Brady Bunch".See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Look Behind the Look, I chat with makeup designer Sharon Tabb, who shares her creative journey behind the scenes of the hit series “The Lowdown” and the important film “Sarah's Oil.” Sharon shared with me her origin story and while I always love a “how did you get here” exchange, this one is truly remarkable as serendipity and a leap of faith were powerful players in Sharon's arrival to her career. If you are just getting started in your career, this episode is full of words of wisdom, and if you are far along in your journey, you will love hearing about what keeps Sharon motivated as I am sure you can relate. I was truly recharged after spending time with her and I know you will be too. Get full access to Look Behind The Look at lookbehindthelook.substack.com/subscribe

What a mess.I mean America's corporatized, bureaucratic, profiteering medical system. It's as though the Marx Brothers and Franz Kafka conspired to create it.Yet, in the midst of that mess, there is one saving grace – namely the everyday workforce of dedicated nurses, therapists, hygienists, and other skilled, hands-on professionals who are the true heart of health care.Astonishingly, though, when Trump & Co. bellowed this year that they intended to reform the medical system and slash costs, guess who they targeted for cuts? Certainly not the lavishly-paid CEOs and corporate price gougers who donate billions to Trump. Instead, they're going after our frontline caregivers, the one segment of the system that prioritizes patient health over corporate profits.Yet, channeling Kafka's surrealism and Groucho's slapstick, Trump and his GOP Congress are not only downgrading this vital workforce, but denigrating it. They've directed the US Education Department to decree that nurses are no longer “professionals.”One immediate impact is that many young people who want to pursue careers in patient care will no longer be eligible for the government's student loans for advanced medical courses. This means that non-rich students will effectively be blocked from earning specialized degrees … and higher salaries. In the bigger picture, Trump's insult to these essential medical professionals amounts to government-enforced plutocracy, mandating inequality, as well as inferior health care.Moreover, three-fourths of the health-provider jobs Trump wants to degrade are filled by women. Apparently, it's part of his increasing attempts to belittle and bully women. As one nurse says of his attack on her profession: “It's just a smack in the face.” For information and action, go to NationalNursesUnited.org.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

For the past five years, the Texas Showdown Series has been slowly, inevitably, drifting west. We started in the dense, pine-soaked forests of East Texas, moved through the rugged limestone of the Hill Country, but the destination was always clear: Big Bend. Few landscapes in the world capture the heart and soul the way West Texas does. For those willing to push themselves to the edge, something different waits out there—something ancient, indifferent, and extraordinary. In the world of ultra-cycling, that "something" takes the shape of the West Texas Showdown. The WTS doesn't just test riders. It strips them down. It pushes them to their limits and then, without apology or sympathy, asks for more. Out there, the desert becomes your only companion—its silence broken only by your groans, your breathing, and the steady reminder that you are very far from comfort. And the numbers tell the story: only 32% of the field finished the course. In the Showdown category, the desert claimed all but three riders. Fifteen started. Three rolled into Terlingua. Despite the brutality of the route, the racing was electric and equally unrelenting. A small but mighty group battled back and forth across the miles, creating genuine, edge-of-your-seat dot-watching. It wasn't clear who would take the win until the final stretch, and by then everyone—riders, spectators, and the desert itself—had given everything they had. When the dust settled, here's who was left standing: 1st — Kyle Gilbert — 2d 5h 44m 2nd — Hannah Simon — 2d 16h 17m 3rd (DFL) — Robert Shine — 2d 19h 33m These three deserve every ounce of praise and recognition—not just for surviving the desert, but for putting on one hell of a race. Everyone who was out there knows how hard they had to fight, and they earned the respect of the entire field. On today's episode, I sat down with Kyle and Hannah in the back of DogSpeed Cycling in Austin, TX to talk all things WTS. At this point, they are the leading experts on the event, and we went deep: strategy, equipment, tire choice, water management, drop bags, preparation—you name it. Whether you're thinking about tackling WTS or you just want to hear two incredible humans break down an unforgettable ride, this episode is for you. On a personal note, hosting both Kyle and Hannah at their very first ultra-cycling race back at ETS 2021 was one of the highlights of my time in this community. Seeing them return nearly five years later—stronger, wiser, and standing atop the WTS podium—was a full-circle moment that I'll never forget. I couldn't be prouder of these two, and I have no doubt they'll keep pushing boundaries and inspiring others along the way. --------- The party starts again at the 6th Edition of East Texas Showdown at the Bullet Grill in Point Blank, TX. Need to know: - March 27th-29th, 2026 - Registration Open now - Showdown (395 miles), Slowdown (275 miles), Lowdown (160 miles) - NEW FOR 2026 we're introducing a Gravél option. Please say "hi" to the 69 miles Gravél Throwdown. This is a unique race format that introduces another opportunity for others to get in on the action over the weekend, but it also presents a new challenge for the ultra-cylists - anyone who finishes the Showdown or Slowdown before Sunday at 7am can enter the Throwdown for free. Should make for a really dynamic race...a battle between gravel racers and ultra-cyclists - its the Gravél Throwdown y'all! - more info can be found at TexasShowdownSeries.com Thanks to our newest Patrons!!! Dustin Mareth Indiana Shulz Manuel Busse Dave Milam  Borja G Join them won't you?! - Patreon.com/bikesordeath  

Ethan Hawke stars in the new movie ‘Blue Moon,' about lyricist Lorenz Hart, half of the Broadway duo Rodgers and Hart. It's his ninth collaboration with director Richard Linklater. He's also in the new noir-inspired streaming series ‘The Lowdown.' He tells Terry Gross while playing Hart pushed him to the edge of his ability, he totally related to his character in ‘The Lowdown.' Also, we hear from actor and director Tim Robbins. He reflects on 30 years of making films and why he believes live theater can sometimes speak to us in more profound ways than film can. He spoke with Tonya Mosley.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy