Podcasts about trumpian

After a week of infighting, Sussan Ley was left with no other choice but to sack controversial conservative Jactina Nampijinpa Price. As Price and her supporters push for a more Trumpian turn, Ley is fighting to bring the opposition back to the centre. But as the Coalition continues to tear itself apart, should the media's attention be more focused on the party in power? Bridie Jabour talks to the Guardian Australia editor, Lenore Taylor, deputy editor Patrick Keneally and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about who is holding Labor to account when the Coalition is constantly in chaos

Original Live Title RFK & Miran at Senate; FL Vaccine Mandates; Abortion Pill; Tariffs &Deportation | Yaron Brook Show | September 4, 2025When politics descends into a circus, who's really paying the price? From RFK's Senate drama and Miran's grandstanding to Florida's authoritarian vaccine mandates, America's culture wars rage on. Add in the Left/Right battle over the abortion pill, Trumpian tariff lies, and calls for mass deportation—and you get the perfect storm of bad ideas.Yaron Brook slices through the noise with unapologetic clarity, exposing the irrationality, tribalism, and dangers behind today's politics. Neither Left nor Right escapes critique—because freedom, reason, and individual rights demand honesty.Key Time Stamps:01:15 Free Press07:05 National Conservatism Conference37:05 RFK43:20 Miran45:45 FL Vaccine Mandates49:20 Abortion Pill54:50 Tariffs56:30 Deportation1:00:00 Announcement https://randsdaycon.thebvh.com/Live Questions:1:11:47 Another interesting thing about Rand was that she frequently thought of and identified the motives behind ideas and actions without resorting to psychoanalyzing. Do you think that's difficult to do? What are your thoughts on how to do it?1:13:31 How do you objectively assign a weight to your gut feelings? 1:18:09 Even if you're healthy, is it possible to be consistently happy if you're not wealthy?1:20:51 With Trump everything is horrible, a disgrace, a Hellhole, etc., unless he's responsible for it. I'm highlighting his negativity and malevolence. Do you think that's correlated with skepticism/cynicism?1:22:06 Why do some grow up trying to think in principles despite their education, and others don't?1:23:52 Does the Left have more respect for human rights than the Right? Respect for due process and humane treatment of detainees and prisoners?1:25:46 On yesterday's show, you said: "Ayn Rand didn't convince that many people, but maybe she convinced the most important people". What did you mean by that?1:27:10 When Tom Snyder asked Rand what she meant by selfishness, she referenced self-esteem, and that one should “respect one's mind”. What does respecting one's mind entail?1:29:08 When a crony politician is accused of acting in "self-interest" against the "interest" of the people, what's a better term than "self-interest"?1:30:37 When evaluating selfishness, are people not so much put off by the idea of you pursuing your values and achieving your happiness, but a perceived ugliness of not caring about others?1:32:20 Could hospitals now say, “Want to deliver your baby at Hospital A, B, or C? You must get these specific vaccines for our NICU ward's protection.” ?1:32:50 If the S&P500 booms 4k points after the tariffs are shut down, would Trump reconsider tariffs? Or is he too deep into mercantilism to think otherwise?1:34:00 Are you planning on becoming a genocide scholar?

Governor Greg Abbott denies allegations from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzger that Texas National Guard troops are part of a Donald Trump-threatened military deployment to Chicago: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/national-guard-chicago-abbott-21027479.php...Pritzger warns us not to allow the militarization of American cities to become normalized: https://www.advocate.com/voices/pritzker-trump-invading-chicagoA racist comment from 2022 that Lubbock State Senator Charles Perry apologized for yesterday could end up part of legal challenges that the new Trump map is racially motivated: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/texas-senator-apologizes-for-racist-comments-unearthed-by-democracy-docket/Ken Paxton, reacting to his flagging numbers against Senator John Cornyn, says Texas school kids should be reciting the Lord's Prayer at school every day: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/02/texas-ag-ken-paxton-lords-prayer-religion-schools/...Also as a Trumpian play, Paxton is now opposing a ten-year-old bail reform effort in Harris County: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/paxton-misdemeanor-consent-decree-21015147.phpThe second special session slogs on - the Senate yesterday gave approval to a bill banning abortion medication in Texas: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/02/texas-senate-gives-initial-approval-to-abortion-pill-bill-targeting-mailing-of-medication/...Also yesterday, the Texas House reversed a new law, which just took effect on Monday, that would allow Texas voters to update their addresses on Election Day: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/voter-registration-law-21026519.phpThere's word that some Texas lawmakers want to end the session early, which would leave Dan's Ban on THC and July 4 flood-related legislation incomplete - and perhaps set the stage for a third special session: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-special-session-may-end-early-leaving-key-bills-limboAustin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

John runs down his top picks for the biggest dick of the past week. First, a US Appeals Court ruled the majority of Donald Trump's tariffs are in fact illegal and have no standing, but it held off on enforcing any tariff repeals under the assumption the Supreme Court will soon be asked for a ruling. Second, Secretary of Defense Pete Kegsbreath ordered that all D.C. National Guard troops be armed. Third, D.C. Attorney Jeanine Pirro decided that people carrying weapons in D.C. won't face felony gun charges anymore. Fourth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller saying the crackdown in D.C. was to protect black residents. and fifth, Snoop Dogg saying he was uncomfortable with a cartoon lesbian couple in the new Disney movie "Lightyear". Then, John welcomes back democratic strategist Max Burns to talk about his new piece for The Hill - "Trump's Agitprop Banners Reveal His Authoritarian Ambition". Then winding it up, he chats with TV's Frank Conniff about current topics and all things Trumpian related.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're thrilled to welcome Supriya Dwivedi back to our regular rotation, starting with this episode (2:30), where the former senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes on Alberta's school library book ban, PM Mark Carney's negotiations with President Donald Trump, California Governor Gavin Newsom's Trumpian social media strategy, and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's "Stand on Guard" proposal to address violent crime in Canada.  TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: talk@ryanjespersen.com  57:00 | Jespo and Johnny catch up after the long weekend, and discuss an email from Real Talker Jeff, who doesn't think they should take any days off.  1:34:00 | Real Talker Lynda talks "solidarity" in a Labour Day edition of Positive Reflections presented by Solar by Kuby.  GET A FREE SOLAR QUOTE TODAY: https://kuby.ca/solar FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, INSTAGRAM, and LINKEDIN: @realtalkrj & @ryanjespersen  JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: @ryanjespersen  REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: patreon.com/ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Listen to Zooming In at The UnPopulist in your favorite podcast app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RSS | YouTubeLandry Ayres: Welcome back to Zooming In at The UnPopulist. I'm Landry Ayres.We find ourselves in a deeply troubling moment for American democracy, grappling with the stark realities of a political landscape increasingly defined by fear, performative cruelty, and a conscious assault on established norms and institutions.This special live recording from ISMA's “Liberalism for the 21st Century” conference features host Aaron Ross Powell, as well as longtime observer of the militarization of police and author of the Substack, The Watch, Radley Balko, and co-founder and former contributor of The Bulwark, Charlie Sykes, author now of the Substack To the Contrary. They explore the mechanisms of this assault, how a manufactured crisis of fear is being weaponized by law enforcement, and the profound implications for civil liberties and the rule of law in America.The discussion is insightful, if unsettling.A transcript of today's podcast appears below. It has been edited for flow and clarity.Aaron Ross Powell: Welcome to a special live recording of The UnPopulist's Zooming In podcast here at the “Liberalism for the 21st Century” conference in Washington, D.C. I am Aaron Powell and I'm delighted to be joined by Radley Balko and Charlie Sykes to talk about the situation we find ourselves in.To me, the most striking image of Trump's campaign, months before he was reelected, was from the RNC. Before that, there was the weird one of him in the construction vest. But the most terrifying image was the one depicting the “Mass Deportation Now!” signs and the sneering and cruel faces celebrating the culture that they were wallowing in. Those faces made me think, as I was looking at them, of the faces in photographs during the Civil Rights Movement of police officers about to inflict violence, turn on firehoses, let dogs loose, and so on. And it felt like what we are seeing now.The “Mass Deportation Now!” images characterize not just the policies of Trump 2.0, but the attitude that they're trying to inflict upon the country. It feels like a rolling back of what we achieved in the 1960s from the Civil Rights Movement—it feels like we're in a retreat from that. This is a conscious attempt to roll that back. So I wanted to talk about that.Radley, I'll start with you. We're sitting in D.C. right now as National Guard troops and members of all sorts of agencies are patrolling the streets. Is this surprising to you—the pace at which these nominally public servants, who are supposed to serve and protect, have embraced this role of violence and fear and chaos?Radley Balko: I'm surprised at how quickly it's happened. I've been talking to people about this day for the last 20 years. I've been warning about the gradual militarization of our police, which is something that has happened in conjunction with the drug war and then the war on terror over 40 or 50 years.That debate was always about, “How militarized should our police be? How do we balance safety, and giving police officers what they need to protect public safety, with civil liberties and constitutional rights?” The fear was always that another Sept. 11 type event would cause what we're seeing now—that there would be a threat, a threat that everybody acknowledges as a threat, that would cause an administration, states, mayors, to crack down on civil liberties. But it would at least be a threat that everyone recognizes as a threat. We would be debating about how to react to it.When it comes to what's playing out today, there's no threat. This is all manufactured. This is all made up.Your juxtaposition of those two images—the clownish image of Trump in the construction vest and the other one depicting this genuinely terrifying anger and glee a lot of his followers get from watching grandmothers be raided and handcuffed and dragged out of their homes—show the clownishness and incompetence of this administration juxtaposed with the actual threat and danger, the hate and vitriol, that we see from his followers.We always hear that story about Ben Franklin after the Constitutional Convention: a woman comes up to him and says, “So, what is it, Mr. Franklin, do we have a republic or a monarchy?” And he says, “A republic, if you can keep it.” That phrase, of course, has been echoed throughout the ages. If Franklin were alive today, he would say, “You know, when I said that, I was worried about a Caracalla or a Sulla or a Caesar.” Instead it's like, this guy, the guy that has to win every handshake, that's who you're going to roll over for?I saw a lot of libertarian-ish people making this point before the election—that Trump's not a threat, he's a clown, he's incompetent, he's not dangerous. And you know what? He may be incompetent, but he's put people around him this time who do know what they're doing and who are genuinely evil.So, on some level, this was the worst case scenario that I never really articulated over the years when I've talked about police militarization. This is actual military acting as police, not police acting as the military. But here we are and they're threatening to spread it around the country to every blue city they can find.Powell: He's a clown, he's rightfully an object of ridicule, he doesn't know anything, he's riddled with pathologies that are obvious to everyone except him. And yet it's not just that he won, but that he effectively turned, not all of the American right, but certainly a large chunk of it into a personality cult. Charlie, given that he seems to be a singularly uninspiring personality, what happened?Charlie Sykes: Well, he's inspiring to his followers.Let me break down the question into two parts.I was in Milwaukee during the Republican Convention, when they were holding up the “Mass Deportation” signs—which was rather extraordinary, if you think about it, that they would actually put that in writing and cheer it. It's something that they'd been talking about for 10 years, but you could see that they were ramping it up.But you put your finger on this culture of performative cruelty and brutality that they have embraced. Trump has made no secret of that. It's one of the aspects of his appeal. For many, many years he's been saying that his idea of law and order is to have cops who will break heads and inflict harm. He's talked about putting razor blades on the top of the wall that Mexico was going to pay for. He's told stories about atrocities. One of his standard stories—that I think the media just stopped even quoting—was about Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing in World War I taking Muslim terrorists and shooting them with bullets that had been dipped in pig's blood. Totally b******t—he made the whole thing up. But it was an indication of a kind of bloodlust. He's talked about extrajudicial killings. He has expressed his admiration for strongmen like Duterte in the Philippines who have done this. He's talked about having drug courts that would have trials and executions the same day. So this is not a secret.What is really remarkable is the extent to which he's communicated that to his base. I mean, there are Americans who legitimately have concerns about immigration and about the border. But what he's also tapped into is this really visceral hatred of the other and the desire to inflict pain and suffering on them. I think that that is one of the ugliest aspects of his presence in our politics, and we saw that with the “Mass Deportation Now!” signs.Now, the second part is how he is implementing all of this with his raw police state, his masked brute squads sent into the city streets. And, again, he's made no secret of wanting to put active military troops into the streets of American cities. He was blocked from doing that in Trump 1.0, but obviously this is something that he's thought about and wants to do. And one of the most disturbing parts about this is the embrace of these kinds of tactics and this culture by law enforcement itself. Radley's written a lot about this. Donald Trump has gone out of his way, not only to defend war criminals, but also to defend police officers who've been accused of brutality. So he's basically put up a bat signal to law enforcement that: The gloves are off. We're coming in. There's a new sheriff in town.What's happening in Washington, D.C. is just a trial run. He's going to do this in New York. He's going to do this in Chicago. He's going to do this in one blue city after another. And the question is, “Will Americans just accept armed troops in their streets as normal?”Now, let me give a cautionary note here: Let's not gaslight Americans that there's not actually a crime problem. I think Democrats are falling into a kind of trap because there are legitimate concerns about public safety. So the argument shouldn't be: There's no crime problem. The argument should be: This is exactly the wrong way to go about dealing with it. Having mass, brute squads on the street is one step toward really running roughshod over a lot of different rights—due process rights and other constitutional rights—that most Americans are going to be reluctant to give up. But we're going to find out, because all of this is being tested right now.Balko: I'd like to jump in on the crime point. I mean, crime is down in D.C. D.C. does have a comparatively high crime rate for a city of its size. There's no question. It's always been that way here. But the idea that there's something happening right now that merits this response is what I meant when I called it a manufactured crisis.I think it's important to point out that, like you said, he's always wanted to do this. This is just the reason that he's managed to put his finger on and thinks is going to resonate.“I've been talking to people about this day for the last 20 years. I've been warning about the gradual militarization of our police, which is something that has happened in conjunction with the drug war and then the war on terror over 40 or 50 years. That debate was always about, ‘How militarized should our police be? How do we balance safety, and giving police officers what they need to protect public safety, with civil liberties and constitutional rights?' The fear was always that another Sept. 11 type event would cause what we're seeing now—that there would be a threat, that everybody acknowledges as a threat, that would cause an administration, states, mayors, to crack down on civil liberties. But there would at least be a threat that everyone recognizes as a threat. We'd be debating about how to react to it. When it comes to what's playing out today, there's no threat. This is all manufactured. This is all made up.” — Radley BalkoI do think we need to talk about crime and about what works and what doesn't. But I think it's important to acknowledge that “crime” is just the reason that he's found right now. This is something that he's been planning to do forever. Like Kristi Noem said, it is basically about deposing the leadership in these cities. In Los Angeles, she said that their goal was to “liberate” it from the socialist elected leaders.Sykes: I agree with you completely about that. I'm just saying that there is a danger of putting too much emphasis on the idea that there is not a crime problem—because in Chicago, there's a crime problem, in New York, there's a crime problem. People feel it. And, I mean, didn't Democrats learn a lesson in 2024 when there was inflation and they said, “Oh no, no, no, there's not really inflation here. Let me show you a chart. You can't think that the cost of living is a problem because here are some statistics that I have for you. There's not really a problem at the border—if you think there's a problem of immigration, a problem at the border, here, I have a chart showing you that there isn't a problem.” Well, you can't.If the public honestly thinks that there is a problem at the border, that there's a problem with inflation, and that there's a problem with crime, it's politically problematic to deny it because as David Frum wrote presciently in The Atlantic several years ago: If liberals will not enforce the border—you could add in, “or keep the city streets safe”—the public will turn to the fascists. If they think you will solve this problem and you're pretending it does not exist or you're trying to minimize it, they'll turn to the fascists.Balko: I don't want to belabor this, but I just think it's dangerous to concede the point when the premise itself is wrong.So, Trump made crime an issue in 2016, right? Recall the American Carnage inauguration speech. When Trump took office in Jan. 2017, he inherited the lowest murder rate of any president in the last 50 years. And yet he ran on crime. I think that it's important to push back and say, “Wait a minute, no, Obama did not cause a massive spike in crime. There was a tiny uptick in 2015, but that was only because 2014 was basically the safest year in recent memory.”Trump is also the first president in 30 years to leave office with a higher murder rate than when he entered it. You know, I don't think that presidents have a huge effect on crime, but Trump certainly does.So, I agree with you that we can't say crime isn't a problem, but we can also point out that crime went up under Trump and that what he's doing will make things worse.Sykes: I think these are all legitimate points to make. It's just that, Trump has this reptilian instinct to go for vulnerabilities. And one of the vulnerabilities of the progressive left is the problem of governance. If there is a perception that these urban centers are badly governed, that they are overrun with homeless encampments and crime and carjacking, then the public will see what he's doing as a solution.By the way, I'm making this argument because I think that we can't overstate how dangerous and demagogic what he's doing is. But I'm saying that this is going to be a huge fight. He's going to go into Chicago where crime is just demonstrably a problem, and where I think the mayor has an approval rating of about 12 to 16%, and he's going to say, “I am here with the cavalry.”There's got to be a better answer for this. There's got to be a way to focus on the real threat to the constitutional order that he is posing, as opposed to arguing on his ground and saying, “No, no, don't pay attention to crime, inflation, the border.”And, again, I'm making this argument because this is one that I think the country really has to win. Otherwise we are going to see militarization and an actual police state.Powell: Let me see if I can pull together some of the threads from the conversation so far, because I think there's a nexus, or something that needs to be diagnosed, to see the way through.When you [Charlie] were mentioning the bullets covered in pig's blood, what occurred to me was ... I was a kid at the height of '80s action movies. And that's the kind of thing that the bad guys did in '80s action movies. That's the kind of thing that justified the muscular American blowing them up or otherwise dispatching them.There's been a turn, now, in that we're seeing behavior from Americans that they would have at one point said, “This isn't who we are.” The Christianity that many Americans hold to, this is not the way that Jesus tells them to act. There's been a shift in our willingness to embrace this sort of thing, and it's behavior that I would have expected to horrify basically everyone watching it happening.And it is—his approval readings are declining rapidly. It is horrifying a lot of people—but fewer than I would have hoped. One of you mentioned that, on the one hand, there's the cruelty, but there's also the fear—and those are feeding into each other. And what I wonder is, yes, there's crime, but at the same time, if your media consumption habits are those of a committed Trump supporter, you are being told constantly to be afraid that everybody outside your door, except for the people who you recognize, or maybe the people who share your skin color or speak with the same accent you do, is a threat to you and your family.I see this with members of my own family who are Trump supporters. They are just terrified. “I can't ride the subway. It's too scary to ride the subway.” Or, “I go out in D.C. and I see youths doing the kinds of things youths do, and now I don't feel safe having my family there.” We don't have a war. We don't have a crisis. But we've told a huge portion of the country, “You should be afraid of every last thing except your immediate family and that guy who now rules the country.” And the crime rates are part of it. It's like, “You should be scared of every single one of these cities.”Sykes: It's a story. One of the speakers today was talking about the power of stories, that demagogues will tell a story. And a story of fear and anger is a very, very powerful story that you can't counteract with statistics. You need to counteract it with other stories.“This culture of performative cruelty and brutality is one of the aspects of his appeal. For many years he's been saying that his idea of law and order is to have cops who will break heads and inflict harm. He's talked about putting razor blades on the top of the wall that Mexico was going to pay for. He's told stories about atrocities. He would tell the story about Gen. ‘Black Jack' Pershing in World War I taking Muslim terrorists and shooting them with bullets that had been dipped in pig's blood. He's talked about extrajudicial killings. He has expressed his admiration for strongmen like Duterte in the Philippines who have done this. He's talked about having drug courts that would have trials and executions the same day. What is really remarkable is the extent to which he's communicated that to his base. He's tapped into this really visceral hatred of the other and the desire to inflict pain and suffering on them. I think that that is one of the ugliest aspects, and we saw that with the ‘Mass Deportation Now!' signs.” — Charlie SykesPart of the problem is that Trump has made that narrative. So, for example, you have members of your family who are Trump supporters. My guess is that they could name the young women who had been raped and murdered by illegal immigrants. Because, I mean, on Fox News, this is happening all the time, right? On Fox News, illegal immigrants are criminals. “Look at the crimes they are committing.” They tell that story in the most graphic way possible, and then turn around and say, “If you oppose what Donald Trump is doing, you are defending these ‘animals'”—as Trump described them.It is deeply dishonest. It is deeply dangerous. But it is potent. And we ought to look at it in the face and recognize how he is going to weaponize those stories and that fear, which is really the story of our era now. We're living in this era of peace, prosperity, general safety—and yet he's created this “American carnage” hellscape story.Balko: Yeah, I also think there's this weird paradox of masculinity in the MAGA movement. It's not about masculinity—it's about projecting masculinity. It's about co-opting aspects of masculinity. And it's like, “We're the manly men. We need men to be men again. And that's why we support men who sexually assault and sexually harass women. And, at the same time, we're all going to genuflect and debase ourselves in front of this 79-year-old man, because he's our leader and we need to let him insult our wives. And we're also scared to take the subway.” I think there were 10 murders last year in the New York city subway. The subway is one of the safest public spaces you'll find anywhere. But you'll regularly see MAGA people go on Fox News and talk about how scared they are of it.I mean, I don't know how persuadable any of MAGA is, but I do think pointing out the sheer cowardliness might resonate. When Markwayne Mullin goes on the Sunday shows and says he doesn't wear a seatbelt anymore because he's afraid he'll get carjacked and he needs to be able to jump out of his car quickly ...Sykes: ... He actually did say that.Balko: Yeah. And, I don't know what the stats are, but it's something like you're 40 or 50 times more likely to die in a car accident than you are in a carjacking. So, you know, he's sealing his own fate, I guess.But I do think that maybe there's something to appealing to their lack of masculinity when they try to push some of these narratives.Sykes: Well, yeah, I do think there are narratives out there.We have National Guard troops here in Washington, D.C.—where were they on Jan. 6th? Why did the president not bring them in then? We had one of the greatest assaults on law enforcement. So we can call b******t on Donald Trump being the “law and order,” “back the blue” president.One of the first things he did when he took office was issue the blanket pardons to all the rioters and seditionists who not only assaulted the Capitol, but specifically the ones who attacked police officers. We can stand up and say, “I don't want to be lectured by the man who gave the Get Out of Jail Free card to the people who tased and bear sprayed police officers in this city. Not to mention,”—before he brings up the whole “defund the police” thing—“the man who right now is dismantling the nation's premier law enforcement agency, the FBI.” Because all of these FBI agents who are being gutted or tasked with hassling homeless people in Washington, D.C., you know what they're not doing? They are not investigating child sex trafficking. They are not engaging in any anti-terrorism activities.So, what you do is call them out, saying, “You are not making this country safer. You are not the ‘law and order' president. You are a convicted felon. You in fact have freed and celebrated people who actually beat cops.” If Barack Obama would have pardoned someone who had attacked police officers, the right would have been utterly incandescent. And yet Donald Trump does it and he's not called out on it.I understand that there are some who are reluctant to say, “Well, no, we're actually the party of law and order. We're actually the party of public safety.” But you hit him right in what I think is a real vulnerability.Balko: One of the guys who literally told Jan. 6 rioters to kill the police is now a respected senior member of the Justice Department, whereas the guy who threw a sandwich at a cop is facing a felony charge. That is Trump's approach to law enforcement.Sykes: I always hate it when people go on TV and say, “This should be a talking point.” But that ought to be a talking point. Don't you think everybody ought to know his name? We have the video of Jared Wise saying, “Kill ‘em! Kill ‘em!” and calling the police Nazis. And he is now a top official in Donald Trump's Justice Department.Powell: This is my concern, though—and this allows me to belabor my Civil Rights Movement point some more. One of the reasons that the anti-civil rights movement, the counter-movement, was as vicious and as ugly as it was is because it was a group of people who felt like they had a status level by virtue of being white, of being men. As they saw things, “If we help minorities and others rise up, that lowers the baseline status that I have.” So they wanted to fight back. It was, “I'm going to keep these people down because it keeps me up.” And when Radley said that they're “projecting masculinity,” I think that's a big part.A big part of the appeal is, “Now I'm seeing guys like me dominating. Now I'm seeing guys who are from my area or share my cultural values or dress like me or are into the same slogans or have the same fantasies of power as I do, or just aren't the coastal elites with their fancy educations and so on, dominating.” And my worry is if that's what's driving a lot of it—that urge to domination coupled with the fear, which I think then allows them to overcome any barriers they have to cruelty—if you marry, “I can have power” and “I'm scared of these people,” that to them justifies their actions in the same way that it does the action movie heroes killing the guys who put the pig's blood on bullets. It becomes justified to inflict cruelty upon those they hate.My worry is if you go after them in that way, it feels like, “Okay, now what you're saying is these guys who look like me, who were dominating, don't actually deserve it.” I don't think that means that we stay away from it, but I think it risks triggering even more of this, “What I want is for it to be my boot on people's necks and I want them to stop putting me down. And I want them to stop telling me that I'm not good, that I'm incompetent, that it's not okay for me to beat my wife” (or whatever it happens to be). Trump is like an avatar for very mediocre men.Sykes: Well, I wouldn't use that as a talking point.Balko: A few years ago, I wrote a piece about a Black police chief who was hired in Little Rock by a mayor who ran on a reform platform and this police chief had a good record. He was in Norman, Okla. before that—he was the first Black chief in Oklahoma. And he was not a progressive by any means, but he was a reformer in that he wanted things to be merit-based and Little Rock has a really strong white police union. I say that because they also have a Black police union, because the Black officers didn't feel like they were represented by the white union.One of the first things that Chief Humphrey did was make the promotional interviews, that you get to move up through the ranks, blind. So you didn't know who you're talking to. If you were white, you didn't know if it was a fellow white person you were interviewing. Most of the people in charge were. The result of removing race from that process was that more Black officers were getting promoted than before. And I wrote about him because he ended up getting chased out of town. They hit him with fake sexual harassment charges; the union claimed he was harassing white women. Basically, they exerted their power and managed to chase him out.But one of the things he told me when I interviewed him was—and other people have said different versions of this—that when your entire life you've been the beneficiary of racial preferences as a white person, as happened in this country for most of its existence, meritocracy looks a lot like racial discrimination. Because things that you got just simply because you were entitled to now you have to earn. And that looks like, “Hey, this Black guy is getting this job over me. And that's not right. Because my dad got that job over the Black guy and his dad got the job over the Black guy.”And I think this backlash that we're seeing against DEI—I'm sure there are parts of this country where DEI was promoting unqualified people just to have diversity, and I do think there's there's value in diversity for diversity's sake—is white people, who have been benefiting from our racial hierarchy system that's been in place since the Founding, were starting to see themselves passed over because we were now moving to a merit-based system and they saw that as discrimination. That's a big part of the backlash.I don't know what the solution is. I don't know that we just re-impose all of the former policies once Trump's out of power, if he's ever out of power. But I do think that there is value in diversity for diversity's sake. Obviously I don't support strict quota systems, but I do think it's important to make that point that addressing historical injustices is critical.We went to the art museum in Nashville the other day and they had a whole exhibit about Interstate I-40 going through Nashville. It was supposed to go through this industrial area where there were no neighborhoods or private homes. And the Tennessee legislature deliberately made it run through the wealthiest Black neighborhood in Nashville and destroyed about 80% of Black wealth in the city. That was 1968—that was not 1868. That's relatively recently that you're destroying a ton of wealth. And you can find that history in every single city.I think a big part of this backlash is not knowing that history—and only knowing what's happening now and experiencing it out of context. For those people, it feels like reverse discrimination.Sykes: So, yes, a lot of this is true. But it's not the whole story. In the state of Wisconsin, overwhelmingly white voters voted for Barack Obama, a Black man, twice in a row before voting for Donald Trump. So we do have that long, deep history of racism, but then also an America that I think was making some progress. I'm just going to put this out as a counterpoint: I think that if people were appealing to the “better angels of their nature,” a lot of these people would not be buying into the cruelty, the brutality, the racism. Instead, we're appealing to their sense of victimization.But let's be honest about it. We moved from a Civil Rights Movement that was morally based on fairness and the immorality of discrimination to one that increasingly was identity politics that morphed into DEI, which was profoundly illiberal. What happened was a lot of the guys we're talking about were thinking not just that they want their boots on people's head, but they're constantly being told that they were bad, that their contributions were not significant. There were invisible tripwires of grievance—what you could say, what you could do, the way you had to behave. In the before times, a lot of the attacks on free speech and the demands for ideological conformity on university campuses were not coming from the illiberal right—they were coming from the illiberal left.And as I'm listening to the speakers at this conference talk about the assault on liberalism, I think one of the questions we have to ask—and maybe this is a little meta—is why it was so brittle. Well, it was brittle because it was caught in a pincer movement by the illiberal left and the illiberal right. My point is that a lot of this reaction is in fact based on racial animus, but there's also a sense that I hear from a lot of folks, a sense of liberation that they feel, that the boot was on their necks and is now being taken off, that they're not having to go to these highly ideological DEI training sessions where they were told how terrible and awful they were all the time. And how, if you believed in a race-blind society, that was a sign you were racist. If white women actually were moved by stories of racism and wept, that was white women's tears. This was heavy handed.“I do think the people who signed off on extraordinary rendition and snatching people off the street and sending them to a literal torture prison in El Salvador, those people need to be criminally charged. But I also think there need to be civil society repercussions. There are so many people in media—pundits, politicians who know better—who have a long record of pointing out how dangerous Trump was and then turned on a dime and started supporting him. I don't wish any physical harm on those people. I don't think any of those people should be put in prison. But I think those people should never be trusted as public intellectuals.” — Radley BalkoSo there was a backlash that was going to be inevitable. What's tragic is the way that it has been co-opted by the people who have really malign motives, who are not acting out of good will—the Stephen Millers who have figured out a way to weaponize this. But that line that goes from the racism of 1957 to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, to a broad-based civil rights consensus—and, again, there's caveats in all of this—to identity-based politics. Let's be honest about it. That was not without sin. That was not without problems.Balko: So, I agree that there was I guess what you could call an illiberal approach to a mutual exchange of ideas on college campuses. There was a lot of shouting down of conservative speakers. In some cases, there were invitations revoked to valedictory speeches. There was some cutting off of funding for conservative speakers. But I want to make sure we're not delving into false equivalences here. I mean, the boot that you're talking about, Charlie, was a metaphorical boot, and we're talking about a very literal boot now.Sykes: Absolutely. That distinction is a significant one.Balko: So, my preferred way of expressing my disagreement with someone isn't to shout them down. I will say, though, that protest is a form of speech. I think, even to some extent, interrupting speeches that are particularly problematic or extremist is a form of speech. It's not one that I personally would engage in. But the type of censorship we're seeing now is direct. It is government censorship. It is not a violation of the spirit of free expression that we were seeing on college campuses before.Sykes: Oh, it was more than just that kind of violation. You had universities that required people to sign a DEI statement where they had to make ideological commitments in order to get a job. I mean, this was very heavy handed. There were no literal boots, but ... I like Jonathan Rauch's analogy that the illiberalism of the left is still a real problem, but it's like a slow-growing cancer. Right now, what we're facing with the illiberalism of the right is a heart attack. We have to deal with the heart attack right now, but let's not pretend that everyone who objects to some of the things that were happening are doing so because they are just vile, white racists.This is part of the problem. People spent decades accusing others of being racist on flimsy grounds. If you support Mitt Romney, you're a racist. If you support tax cuts, you're a racist. You know what happened? I come from this world and there was a time when to be called a racist was the worst thing you could possibly say about somebody. And it got to the point where, literally, if you were in favor of school choice, you were racist; in favor of tax cuts, you were racist. If you voted for a Republican … John McCain was a racist, George Bush was a racist. So when the real thing came along, guess what people said? They just rolled their eyes, shrugged, and said, “We've heard this before.” I mean, it was crying wolf for decades.And I've had these conversations when I would say, “How can you support someone who is just espousing this raw, vicious racism about Haitians eating dogs?” You know what I would get? “Oh, we've been hearing this for 20 years. Literally everyone I know has been accused of being a racist.”So we need to come back to a consensus. If we're going to restore that liberal consensus, we're going to have to say, “This is acceptable behavior. And this is not acceptable behavior.” But we are not going to use these labels to vilify. The politics of contempt is just not helpful. It is not helpful to tell people, “By the way, I think you're an idiot. I think you're stupid. I think you're racist. Would you like to hear my ideas about taxes now?” It doesn't work. And I think that one of the things that, tragically, Trump has tapped into is the sense that these elites look down on you.So, Aaron, when you say that this is the revolution of mediocre men, not helpful. Now, some of them are mediocre. I certainly agree. I write about mediocre people all the time—but, again, the politics of contempt is not the way to get ourselves out of this.Powell: I think there's a distinction between messaging and diagnosis. And if we're to understand how we got here, or the kinds of beliefs or values that can lead someone ... and I don't mean, you've been a partisan Republican voter for your entire life, and you come from a family of this, and you pulled the lever for Trump, but you're mostly an uninformed voter, which is a lot of people—I mean, the people who are cheering on Stephen Miller, they're in a different category. So it might be that, if you have one of those people in front of you, the message is not to say, “There's a broken set of morals at play here,” or “there's a cramped view of humanity at play here,” because they're not going to hear that in the moment.But if we're to understand how we got here and what we're up against, I think we have to be fairly clear-eyed about the fact that the [Trumpian] values that we've discovered over the last 10, 15 years have much more appeal and purchase among a lot of Americans than I think any of us had really expected or certainly hoped, and then figure out how to address that. And, again, it's not everybody—but it's more than I would like. If those values are central to someone's being, and the way that they view others around them and the way they relate to their fellow man, then I think a lot of the less condemning arguments also won't find purchase because, ultimately, it's not a policy difference. It's a, “I want a crueler world.”Sykes: This is where I think the argument that says, “Let's look at this cruelty. Let's look at this brutality. Let's look at the Stephen Millers” ... believe it or not, I actually think it's potent to say to somebody, “Do you want to be like that? Is that really what you want America to be? You're better than that.” And then, “Let me tell you the story of decency.”The story that we heard earlier today about how neighbors who are Trump voters will be there if your house is burning down or your father dies ... you appeal to that innate decency and say, “Do you really want this cruelty?” This is what's lacking, I think, on the right and in the Republican Party right now: people who say, “Okay, you may want less taxes, smaller government, a crackdown on street crime, less illegal immigration ... but is this who you want to be?” Show them the masked officer who is dragging the grandmother away. I do think that there is the better angel that says, “No, that is really not the American story.” You have to appeal to them as opposed to just condemn them. I'm not sure we're disagreeing, but I actually think that that's potent.Balko: I think there is not only room for ridicule when you're up against an aspiring authoritarian, but a lot of history shows it's often one of the few things that works because they really hate to be disrespected.I agree with Charlie that I don't think it's necessarily productive to make fun of people who have been tricked or who have been lied to, but I also think it's worth pointing out that Trump has contempt for his own supporters. I mean, one of the great ironies of our time is that when Trump would need a boost of self-esteem, he would go hold a rally in a state that, before he ran for president, he would never have been caught dead in. He grifts from his own supporters. His lies about Covid got his own supporters killed at higher rates than people in states that didn't vote for him. But I agree that it doesn't serve much benefit to denigrate people.Sykes: But do ridicule the people who are doing it. I mean, don't get me wrong. South Park is doing God's work right now.Balko: Absolutely.Powell: What, then, is the way forward?“This is part of the problem. People spent decades accusing others of being racist on flimsy grounds. If you support Mitt Romney, you're a racist. If you support tax cuts, you're a racist. You know what happened? I come from this world and there was a time when to be called a racist was the worst thing you could possibly say about somebody. And it got to the point where, literally, if you were in favor of school choice, you were racist; in favor of tax cuts, you were racist. If you you voted for Republican. John McCain was a racist. George Bush was a racist. So when the real thing came along, guess what people said? They just rolled their eyes, shrugged, and said, ‘We've heard this before.' I mean, it was crying wolf for decades.” — Charlie SykesLet's assume that democracy survives this current moment and that we somehow put Trump behind us. We can't go back to the status quo before this. We can't just say, “We're going to go back to the kind of politics we had during the Biden administration.” That seems to be off the table. We need something new. We need a new direction. What does that look like?Sykes: I honestly do not know at this point. And I don't think anybody knows. But I do think that we ought to remember, because we throw around the term “liberal democracy” a lot, that democracies are not necessarily liberal. Democracies are not necessarily kind. And I think we need to go back to things like the rule of law.I think it's going to involve some kind of restoration of balance in society. The damage that's being done now is so deep and some of it is so irreparable that I'm hoping that there will be a backlash against it, that there will be a pendulum swing back towards fundamental decency. And even though we keep talking about democracy a lot, I think we need to start talking about freedom and decency a little bit more.You know, I was listening to the Russian dissident who spoke tonight and he asked us to imagine what it's like trying to create a democratic society in Russia with all of their history and all their institutions. As bad as things are for us, we have a big head start. We still have an infrastructure, compared to what he is up against. We still can restore, I think, that fundamental decency and sense of freedom and equality before the law.Balko: I also don't know exactly what it's going to look like. I will say this: I think one of the big reasons why we are where we are today is that there wasn't a proper reckoning, and no real accountability, after the Civil War and Reconstruction. It's been the same with Jan. 6. There was no real accountability. The Democrats waited too long for impeachment. The DOJ was slow.I do think there have to be repercussions. I'm not saying that we throw everybody in the Trump administration in prison, but I do think the people who signed off on extraordinary rendition and snatching people off the street and sending them to a literal torture prison in El Salvador, those people need to be criminally charged.But I also think there need to be civil society repercussions. There are so many people in media—pundits, politicians who know better—who have a long record of pointing out how dangerous Trump was and then turned on a dime and started supporting him. I don't wish any physical harm on those people. I don't think any of those people should be put in prison. But I think those people should never be trusted as public intellectuals. We shouldn't employ them in that realm. I think they should be able to earn a living. I don't think they should earn our trust.I have zero confidence that that's going to happen. But I can personally say that I have no interest in participating in events like this with those people. I have no interest in giving those people any kind of legitimacy because they tried to take our birthright away from us, which is a free and democratic society—the country that, for all its flaws, has been an exemplary country in the history of humankind. They literally are trying to end that. And I don't think you just get to walk away from that and pretend like it never happened.Sykes: I totally agree.Powell: With that, thank you, Radley. Thank you, Charlie.© The UnPopulist, 2025Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X.We welcome your reactions and replies. Please adhere to our comments policy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theunpopulist.net

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sues the Trump administration over her firing, calling the mortgage fraud allegations “unsubstantiated” and claiming the real issue is policy disagreements over interest rates. CDC Director Susan Monarez refuses to step down after being asked to resign, prompting the White House to fire her directly and triggering high-profile resignations across the agency. New reporting from the New York Times shows the FBI probe into John Bolton began under Biden and centers on emails tied to his 2020 memoir, complicating claims of Trumpian retribution. California Governor Gavin Newsom sues to block Trump's use of the National Guard in Los Angeles, while simultaneously expanding his own state's anti-crime operations, drawing charges of contradiction. Governor Newsom accuses President Trump of planning to deploy the National Guard to polling places as part of a scheme to block the next election ... a fevered claim made just hours before Newsom himself rolled out new state-led crime suppression operations across California. All Family Pharmacy: Order now at https://allfamilypharmacy.com/MEGYN and save 10% with code MEGYN10Riverbend Ranch: Visit https://riverbendranch.com/ | Use promo code MEGYN for $20 off your first order.

On Thursday, JD Vance delivered a speech designed to reset the political battle over President Trump's abysmally unpopular budget bill. But Vance's speech devolved into a series of rants that seemed to ape Trump's style. Vance lied about the bill's health care cuts and dissembled wildly about its expected impact on rural hospitals—both times smearing undocumented immigrants with vile Trumpian dishonesty. He also baselessly attacked a nonpartisan agency whose analysis displeased him. All this comes as news outlets in many states are showing that people deep in MAGA country know they're set to get royally screwed. Vance's scamming of Trump voters here was extraordinary. But Democrats have work to do. We talked to Michael Linden, an economist and Democratic strategist organizing against the bill. He dissects Vance's lies about it, explains how badly it will shaft Trump voters and the working class, and discusses how Democrats can keep the focus on it through Election Day 2026. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Porter's Surge in the California Governor RaceWith Kamala Harris opting out of a gubernatorial run, Katie Porter is reaping the benefits. New polling from Politico shows Porter pulling ahead, with 30 percent of Harris's former supporters now backing her. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra trail behind at 16 and 11 percent, respectively. Porter's advantage comes from her visibility and defined ideology — she's well known and clearly positioned on the progressive spectrum.California's jungle primary system means all candidates run on the same ballot, and the top two — regardless of party — face off in the general. Right now, two Republicans are splitting their share of the vote, which adds up to something in the thirties. Porter is in the driver's seat, but with that comes the expectation of incoming fire. Her reputation for detail and sharp questioning in Congress could cut both ways — she's admired for precision but rumored to have a temper and staff issues that may resurface.If you ask me, I'd rather be in her shoes than anyone else's in this race. Governor Porter is no longer a long shot — she's a top contender. Sure, she's not universally loved, and her style is a sharp contrast to someone like Gavin Newsom, who leans more on charisma than policy depth. But Porter's grounded, process-oriented approach might resonate with voters ready for a different kind of leadership. It's early — but she's clearly in the lead.The Freedom Caucus ExodusChip Roy is heading home — not just to Texas, but into the state attorney general race. He's leaving behind his role in the House and with it, another domino falls in the dissolution of the Freedom Caucus. He's not alone. Byron Donalds is going for Florida governor. Barry Moore wants a Senate seat in Alabama. Ralph Norman is aiming for South Carolina's governor's mansion. The list goes on — and the pattern is clear.These were the hardliners — the names you heard when Speaker fights broke out or when high-stakes votes were in play. Now, they're moving on, seeking promotions or exits. The Freedom Caucus' influence, once loud and obstructive, is quietly fading. They all bent the knee to Trump eventually, and now it seems like they're cashing out or repositioning for relevance in state politics.In Texas, the AG job is a powerful one. Ken Paxton used it as a springboard and wielded it aggressively. If Roy wins, expect more of that hard-edged, action-first governance. But nationally, their exodus signals something more — the end of a chapter. The Freedom Caucus isn't what it was, and its main voices are scattering. Their watch has ended.Tulsi Gabbard's Deep State OverhaulTulsi Gabbard, now Director of National Intelligence, has unveiled ODNI 2.0 — a major restructuring plan that slashes staff and consolidates units focused on countering foreign influence and cyber threats. The goal is to cut $700 million annually — a bold move, but one in line with this administration's mission to slim down government operations. It's another signal that this White House doesn't operate under old assumptions.The intelligence world, long a target of Trumpian criticism, is being gutted — not just for size but for perceived bias. There's a strong undercurrent here about the so-called deep state and its relationship with the press. This move isn't just administrative — it's cultural. It's about information control. Gabbard is targeting the pipelines that leak classified narratives to shape public perception.Living in D.C., you feel the impact of this. It's a company town — when the company is laying off hundreds, the town shifts. Longer happy hours. People breaking leases. Uncertainty hanging in the air. But if you're in this administration, it's not about sympathy. It's about loyalty — or the lack thereof. And for many who see Trump as the duly elected CEO of the U.S. government, trimming the fat is justice, not politics.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:02:43 - Interview with Alex Isenstadt00:27:40 - Update00:28:54 - Katie Porter00:31:49 - Chip Roy00:34:28 - Gabbard Cuts00:41:23 - Interview with Evan Scrimshaw01:31:52 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

HALC Executive Director and host Endy D. Zemenides is joined by Mariam Wahba, Research Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to analyze the Egyptian government's efforts to control St. Catherine's monastery, the world's oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.You can read the articles we discuss in the podcast here:Egypt's War Against the World's Oldest Christian MonasteryOn migration, Greece takes a Trumpian turn - The Washington PostEnergy minister dismisses report on possible Turkey-Libya maritime deal approval | eKathimerini.com

On Thursday, JD Vance delivered a speech designed to reset the political battle over President Trump's abysmally unpopular budget bill. But Vance's speech devolved into a series of rants that seemed to ape Trump's style. Vance lied about the bill's health care cuts and dissembled wildly about its expected impact on rural hospitals—both times smearing undocumented immigrants with vile Trumpian dishonesty. He also baselessly attacked a nonpartisan agency whose analysis displeased him. All this comes as news outlets in many states are showing that people deep in MAGA country know they're set to get royally screwed. Vance's scamming of Trump voters here was extraordinary. But Democrats have work to do. We talked to Michael Linden, an economist and Democratic strategist organizing against the bill. He dissects Vance's lies about it, explains how badly it will shaft Trump voters and the working class, and discusses how Democrats can keep the focus on it through Election Day 2026. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, JD Vance delivered a speech designed to reset the political battle over President Trump's abysmally unpopular budget bill. But Vance's speech devolved into a series of rants that seemed to ape Trump's style. Vance lied about the bill's health care cuts and dissembled wildly about its expected impact on rural hospitals—both times smearing undocumented immigrants with vile Trumpian dishonesty. He also baselessly attacked a nonpartisan agency whose analysis displeased him. All this comes as news outlets in many states are showing that people deep in MAGA country know they're set to get royally screwed. Vance's scamming of Trump voters here was extraordinary. But Democrats have work to do. We talked to Michael Linden, an economist and Democratic strategist organizing against the bill. He dissects Vance's lies about it, explains how badly it will shaft Trump voters and the working class, and discusses how Democrats can keep the focus on it through Election Day 2026. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to puzzle over the latest congressional maps, from Texas and California to Indiana, where Trump wants to lock Democrats out of power forever. Then they size up Gavin Newsom's palpable 2028 ambition, as liberals go ga-ga for a Trumpian fighter of their own. 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

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt seethed at the media for well over a minute for not acknowledging President Trump's world historical peacemaking efforts or his smashing successes in the Russia-Ukraine talks, even though there haven't been any such successes. And she offered a wildly absurd explanation for why European leaders rushed to Washington, D.C. (to prevent the U.S. from selling out Ukraine to Vladimir Putin). This comes as a snew Reuters poll finds Trump's approval rating down to a new low of 40 percent. That's fueled partly by Russia-Ukraine: A striking 54 percent of Americans say Trump is too aligned with Putin. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. He explains how Leavitt's spin and European angst show that incredibly high stakes matters are now being dictated by an unnerving combination of Trumpian megalomania, his genuine desire for a future world marked by a weak western alliance and strong autocracies, and his utter indifference to the U.S. public's apparent rejection of that vision.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt seethed at the media for well over a minute for not acknowledging President Trump's world historical peacemaking efforts or his smashing successes in the Russia-Ukraine talks, even though there haven't been any such successes. And she offered a wildly absurd explanation for why European leaders rushed to Washington, D.C. (to prevent the U.S. from selling out Ukraine to Vladimir Putin). This comes as a new Reuters poll finds Trump's approval rating down to a new low of 40 percent. That's fueled partly by Russia-Ukraine: A striking 54 percent of Americans say Trump is too aligned with Putin. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. He explains how Leavitt's spin and European angst show that incredibly high stakes matters are now being dictated by an unnerving combination of Trumpian megalomania, his genuine desire for a future world marked by a weak western alliance and strong autocracies, and his utter indifference to the U.S. public's apparent rejection of that vision.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt seethed at the media for well over a minute for not acknowledging President Trump's world historical peacemaking efforts or his smashing successes in the Russia-Ukraine talks, even though there haven't been any such successes. And she offered a wildly absurd explanation for why European leaders rushed to Washington, D.C. (to prevent the U.S. from selling out Ukraine to Vladimir Putin). This comes as a snew Reuters poll finds Trump's approval rating down to a new low of 40 percent. That's fueled partly by Russia-Ukraine: A striking 54 percent of Americans say Trump is too aligned with Putin. We talked to international relations expert Nicholas Grossman. He explains how Leavitt's spin and European angst show that incredibly high stakes matters are now being dictated by an unnerving combination of Trumpian megalomania, his genuine desire for a future world marked by a weak western alliance and strong autocracies, and his utter indifference to the U.S. public's apparent rejection of that vision.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Drazen win the Republican primary by being nice versus someone who is more edge and a bit Trumpian? : https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2025/08/13/drazan-tests-waters-for-2026-run/ Not business friendly? OR unemployment goes up higher than national rate: https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2025/08/13/drazan-tests-waters-for-2026-run/ Is Trump leading a successful counterrevolution? https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/victor-davis-hanson-trump-is-leading-counterrevolution-left/ Can OR Dems change course to stop decline of families leaving OR or pulling their kids out of public schools? https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/08/13/murmurs-enrollement-projections-sound-alarms/ Hillary and Brennan are dead to rights: https://www.rvmnews.com/2025/08/hillary-clinton-john-brennan-are-dead-to-rights-mike-benz-with-benny-johnson-watch/ Deep state former CIA officer at the heart of Russia Collusion hoax loses full top secret clearance: https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/14/exclusive-pentagon-terminates-security-clearance-of-russia-collusion-hoaxer-susan-miller/ Despite SCOTUS ruling in favor of religious liberty in ObamaCare, Fed judge strikes down exception rule: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-judge-strikes-down-religious-exception-rule-for-obamacare-5901141?ea_src=frontpage&ea_med=section-1  

Are we Rome yet? It's become all too easy to compare contemporary America's woes with those of late republican Rome. And even easier to argue that the democracy destroying Donald Trump is the second coming of Julius Caesar. But according to the distinguished American classicist David Potter, author of Master of Rome, we've got Julius Caesar all wrong. Don't trust Cicero's version of Caesar, Potter warns. Julius Caesar was actually a friend rather than a foe of democracy—he wasn't even 'Caesarian' in the dictatorial sense we've come to associate with his name. Actually Caesar - with his veneration for the Roman state and his attention to detail - has much more in common with FDR than with Donald Trump. Rather than a warning, then, Julius Caesar offers a model for American politicians trying to rebuild democratic institutions and values in our populist age. 1. Caesar was more FDR than TrumpPotter argues Caesar was a competent, detail-oriented administrator who passed major social reforms (land redistribution, veteran benefits) to help ordinary Romans—much like Roosevelt's New Deal. Unlike Trump, Caesar valued facts, logistics, and effective governance.2. Roman "democracy" failed because elites stopped sharing powerThe Roman Republic collapsed not because of Caesar, but because the aristocracy concentrated wealth and excluded most Italians from citizenship despite promises of reform. Caesar emerged because the system had already broken down.3. Caesar was inclusive, not exclusionaryUnlike typical autocrats, Caesar integrated former enemies and conquered peoples (like the Gauls) into his system. He pardoned rivals like Cicero and promoted social mobility—even freed slaves could become citizens and rise to high positions.4. The "Caesarian" reputation comes from biased sourcesMuch of Caesar's tyrannical image comes from Cicero, who defended corrupt politicians and arbitrary executions when it suited him. Reading Caesar's own writings reveals a thoughtful strategist, not a bloodthirsty dictator.5. Competent authoritarianism beats incompetent democracyPotter's key warning: when democratic institutions fail to serve citizens, they'll accept strong leadership that delivers results. Caesar succeeded because he could actually govern—a lesson about the importance of making democracy work for everyone.Keen On America 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 keenon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Marina and Jemma dive headfirst into the week's online chaos, starting with a very British debate about kids and iPads at the dinner table. Kirstie Allsopp has thoughts, and so do they. From there, it's a whirlwind tour through cultural clashes, viral romances, and the latest Trumpian monstrosity: a golden ballroom and a concrete patio. They unpack the U.S. employment nosedive and subsequent firing, Trump's bizarre tariff spree (69 countries, really?), and the tourism crisis hitting even Las Vegas. Epstein's legacy rears its ugly head again, with updates on Ghislaine Maxwell's cushy prison transfer, plus theirs an update on White House Press Speaker Karoline Leavitt's soul-selling antics and Trump's admiration for...her lips. VomThank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast***VOTE for us in the Podcast Awards***https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingPatreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcastBlueSkyhttps://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.socialCreated and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina PurkissEdited by Max Carrey

The scammers are having a field day under the grifter-in-chief, while Trump's ruinous economic policies are starting to bite. Can Republicans lie their way through and maintain control?Plus- Thom reads from "The Old Is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born" by Nancy Fraser.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This Week: Despite deep “blue” California being poised to implement the first-in-the-nation, state-wide ethnic studies graduation requirement, the insidious efforts from within to undermine, co-opt, and whitewash the curriculum are still afoot. Earlier this year a coalition of state legislators tried passing AB 1468 as a naked attempt to gut ethnic studies. Now, they're back with AB 715, complete  with Trumpian style rhetoric around “preventing antisemitism” while it violates 1st amendment rights, destroys academic freedom, conflates critique of zionism and the state of Israel with antisemitism, and opens the flood gates to weaponize the official complaint process against all attempts at the teaching of truthful history, and everything labeled “DEI.” Thankfully the CA Teachers Association is leading the way to oppose this unnecessary, and harmful bill. And as the realities of genocide in Palestine are now being acknowledged in the mainstream media, the coalition of voices opposing this sort of dystopian legislation is growing, and the political tides may be swinging. Also, in our round up of fascist nonsense in American education we got continued attacks on higher ed with hundreds of millions being taken from Columbia and UCLA. And facing mounting pressure from all sides, Trump and Linda release billions allocated for public education, including almost $1B for California. Manuel and Jeff discuss!Take Action To Save Ethnic Studies in CA: contact your state rep and make clear your opposition to AB 715. Also consider signing on to organized efforts to oppose this harmful bill. MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveFollow us at: LinkedIn, Facebook.com/AOTAshow, Twitter.com/AOTAshow

Psychoanalysing US President Donald Trump is a booming global business. India has to find a way of surviving him for about two more years. To protect ourselves from Trumpian diplomacy on social media, we must first introspect the bipolarity within our establishment discourse. – Watch this week's #NationalInterest with Shekhar Gupta----more----Read this week's National Interest here: https://theprint.in/national-interest/modi-trump-india-washington-bipolarity/2710611/----more----Read 'Rahul has forced Modi to change his policies' National Interest here: https://theprint.in/national-interest/caste-census-is-a-bad-idea-whose-time-has-come-much-worse-lies-ahead/2613185/----more----Watch 'Rahul has forced Modi to change his policies' National Interest here: https://youtu.be/DexXw-PLmAQ

Surrender, submission, humiliation. Those are the words floating around in Europe after the US and the EU reached a tariff deal this weekend that President Trump described as the “biggest deal” ever made. Thanos Davelis brings on Simon Nixon, an independent journalist, Kathimerini columnist, and the publisher of the Wealth of Nations newsletter, as we ask the question: big beautiful deal, humiliating surrender, or a little bit of both?You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Europe's SurrenderPaying to Play: Europe's Costly Concessions in Trump's New Trade WarTrump and EU Reach Tariff Deal, Avoiding Trade WarEurope averts its Trumpian trade nightmareYemen's Houthi rebels threaten to escalate attacks on ships linked to companies dealing with IsraelWildfire burns 1.3% of Cyprus' land, satellite data showsReal cost of Cyprus fire near €20 mln

In this extra special, heavy duty emergency weekend edition of Seattle Nice, we dissect what Trump's new executive order on homelessness means for Seattle. Initial hot takes have interpreted the order as a full frontal assault on the "housing first" and “harm reduction” approaches that prevail in blue jurisdictions, and its release  has precipitated a major freak out from providers and progressive elected officials in Seattle and nationally.But we need to stop and take a deep breath, says one of Seattle Nice's go to experts, MacArthur genius Lisa Daugaard, co-Executive Director of Purpose Dignity Action. Looking past the inflammatory Trumpian rhetoric to the actual language of the order, Lisa offers a more nuanced and “strategic” take. While the Trumpists' political rhetoric surrounding the order is inflammatory, Daugaard walks us through a deep dive into the actual, much more carefully drafted language of the order to point out that the text itself is (for the most part) not horrific and could even open doors to increased resources for treatment and recovery. As Duagaard emphasizes, Housing First, understood correctly, is not “housing only,” and this EO presents an opportunity for providers and advocates to better explain the full range of case management and recovery interventions they are already deploying to help those suffering from addiction.The discussion goes deep into the EO's implications for harm reduction services, housing first programs, and for civil commitment, weighing the potential risks and strategic opportunities on each front for local providers and governments. The conversation also gets into the potentially sharp disjuncture between the political imperatives for municipal candidates vying to present themselves as the most anti-Trump as local election season heats up, and the right strategy for providers to demonstrate to federal agencies that they are addressing the terms of the EO in good faith.Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comThanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.

EV PARNAS & THE TRUMP INSANITY; The incredible LEV PARNAS tells us an astonishing story of the dark money & deep betrayal that is Donald Trump.   Born in Ukraine, Lev was raised in the mobbed-up corners of Brooklyn, leading to the unlikely depths of the Trump miasma.   As the star of “From Russia with Lev” by Rachel Maddow, Lev answers some of the most critical questions of Trump's pending demise.   In this is an unforgettable insider hour; Lev gives us unique, powerful insights into the seismic Trumpian madness now shaking our world. Solartopia co-host MYLA RESON introduces Donald & William Barr into this rogue's gallery of global embarrassment.   Progressive PR maven ILENE PROCTOR tells us about Ghislaine Maxwell and more.   Alabama Doctor RUTH STRAUSS argues that the “Apprentice” movies goes too easy on Trump.   Long-time activist HEIDI VERTHAILER chimes in.   Co-convenor MIKE HERSH adds a dimension on Watergate.   Health Care activist CHUCK PENACCHIO explains his sterling campaign for the public wellbeing.   Cal Care proponent PAUL NEWMAN checks in from Santa Monica on AB2200 which was killed by Gavin Newsom.   Doctor NANCY NIPARKO adds her usual brilliance to the discussion of universal health care.   Broadcast legend DAVID SALTMAN wants us to challenge Joe Rogan to a debate on atomic power.   Producer STEVE CARUSO promises grater things….like next week's interview with the great Bob Fitrakis….   From Florida, NICOLE UNG reminds us of the outrage that is Ron DeSantis.   LAUREN TAYLOR refers to the Godfather movies as “revealed truth."

The Fork In Your Ear Podcast Ep #197 BANANZA! (Grok 3 Summarization Transcript For) The Fork In Your Ear Podcast Episode Summary – July 19, 2025 In this episode of the The Fork In Your Ear Podcast, hosts Tim K. Trotter and Nate Foo dive into a lively discussion about recent entertainment and gaming topics, despite technical hiccups and life's interruptions. Recorded on July 19, 2025, the episode covers a range of pop culture updates, nostalgic throwbacks, and exciting new releases, with their characteristic banter and humor. Key Topics Discussed: Entertainment News: Passings: The hosts mourn the loss of actor Julian McMahon, known for roles as the devil in Charmed and Dr. Doom in the Fox Fantastic Four films, who passed away at 56 from cancer. They also pay tribute to composer Mark Snow, famous for his work on The X-Files, Supernatural, and Smallville, who died at 78. Nostalgia Kick: Nate shares his recent indulgence in 80s and 90s classics via streaming channels like Pluto TV, revisiting Crocodile Dundee 1 and 2, and RoboCop 3. He notes the surprising presence of actor Stephen Root across these films and Star Trek: The Next Generation, highlighting Root's prolific career. King of the Hill Revival: The hosts discuss the upcoming King of the Hill Season 14, set to release on August 4, 2025, on Hulu and Disney+. The trailer features Bobby as a chef, with “boomer humor” and a new voice actor, Toby Huss, replacing the late Johnny Hardwick as Dale Gribble. Murderbot Season 2: The Apple TV+ series Murderbot is renewed for a second season, with the showrunners addressing fan feedback about episode length, aiming for longer episodes and staying true to the books while incorporating callbacks to Season 1's cast. Dexter Resurrection: Tim, a Dexter fan, raves about the two-episode premiere of Dexter Resurrection, a sequel to Dexter: New Blood. The series introduces new characters, including Uma Thurman's mysterious role, and sets up a multi-season arc with a return to the original series' vibe. Looney Tunes Movie: Tim reviews The Day the Earth Blew Up, a hand-animated Looney Tunes film on HBO Max. He praises its humor, classic animation style, and surprising edge, though notes its unconventional release under Ketchup Entertainment. Superman (James Gunn): Initially skeptical, Tim admits James Gunn's Superman film exceeded expectations. He praises its balance of humor, action, and a humanized Superman, with standout performances by Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and David Corenswet as Superman. Criticisms include an overpacked plot and excessive focus on Krypto the dog. Harry Potter Series: Filming has begun for HBO's Harry Potter series, with the hosts intrigued by the race-swapped Severus Snape and the challenge of casting new child actors to match the iconic original trio. Star Trek Updates: The hosts discuss Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, enjoying its mix of serious and wacky episodes, including a Q cameo. However, they address rumors of Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds Season 5 potentially being shelved due to a Paramount-Skydance merger, and controversy over a proposed remake of the original Star Trek series with the Strange New Worlds cast. Gaming Updates: Helldivers 2 on Xbox: The hosts celebrate Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox Series S/X on August 26, 2025, published by PlayStation Studios' PC port team, Nixxes. They discuss Sony's financial motivations and the game's appeal to Xbox players. Nintendo Switch 2: Tim shares his experience using the Switch 2's game-sharing feature, playing Super Mario 3D World co-op with a colleague. He also discusses The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, praising its updated visuals and challenging final boss. Cyberpunk 2077: The hosts cover the Cyberpunk 2077 2.3 update, adding missions, cars, and an auto-driving feature. They highlight its performance on Switch 2, leveraging DLSS for superior visuals compared to Steam Deck, and note its new Mac version optimized for Apple Silicon. Donkey Kong Bonanza: Tim raves about Donkey Kong Bonanza, a Nintendo Switch 2 title developed by the Super Mario Odyssey team. The game blends open-zone exploration with voxel-based destruction, allowing players to smash through levels as Donkey Kong. Despite a lackluster tutorial, its innovative mechanics and polished chaos earn high praise, positioning it as a potential Game of the Year contender. Banter and Personal Notes: The hosts joke about technical issues, including Discord camera settings and a faulty USB hub, and Nate's “Trumpian tan” from a recent boat trip with Starlink-powered internet. Nate's nostalgia for terrestrial TV leads to a discussion about streaming channels like Pluto TV mimicking that experience. Tim's exhaustion from a tough work week contrasts with the joy of playing Donkey Kong Bonanza to unwind. Closing: The episode wraps with the hosts thanking listeners for sticking with them despite irregular episodes due to life's demands. They promise more The Fork In Your Ear Podcast content with their signature sign-off, “Get forked, catch you on the flippity flop.” Where to Listen: Available on platforms hosting theThe Fork In Your Ear Podcast. Stay tuned for the next episode, and check out the discussed media on Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and more. Join The Fork Family On Discord: https://discord.gg/CXrFKxR8uA Find all our stuff at Remember to give us a review on iTunes or wherever you downloaded this podcast from. And don't forget you can connect to us on social media with, at, on or through: Website: http://www.dynamicworksproductions.com/ Twitter Handle: @getforkedpod eMail Address: theforkinyourearpodcast@gmail.com iTunes Podcast Store Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dynamic-works-productions/id703318918?mt=2&i=319887887 If you would like to catch up with each of us personally Online Twitch/Twitter: Tim K.A. Trotter's Youtube ID: Dynamicworksproductions Tim K.A. Trotter's Twitter ID: Tim_T Tim K.A. Trotter's Twitch ID: Tim_KA_Trotter Also remember to buy my Sc-Fi adventure book “The Citadel: Arrival by Tim K.A. Trotter” available right now on Amazon Kindle store & iTunes iBookstore for only $2.99 get a free preview download when you visit those stores, it's a short story only 160-190 pages depending on your screen size, again thats $2.99 on Amazon Kindle & iTunes iBookstore so buy book and support this show!

What's happening in America every day at the hands, masks and guns of these ICE raids should appall and outrage any citizen in this country who believes in The Constitution and the laws of our land. Former state delegate and current Essex attorney Todd Schuler returns to discuss democracy and some poor government Trumpian trends with Nestor on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour at Costas Inn in Timonium. The post Former Delegate Todd Schuler returns to discuss democracy and poor government trends with Nestor first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Ep 345 of RevolutionZ begins with a brief apology for an error last episode. some self-reflection about RevolutionZ's duration of 345 consecutive episodes, some moving guest comments on Gaza plus my own comments on emerging Trumpian fascism. It then again addresses the question do activists need fresh conceptual frameworks that transcend traditional Marxism?The episode revisits the critique of the Marxist tradition's adequacy for contemporary struggles/ We again and perhaps more succinctly and also aggressively argue that Marxism's core concepts systematically diminish attention to gender, race, and power relations while distorting economic understanding by defining classes solely through property relations.The episode describes how these limitations have manifested in real-world movements to lead not to classlessness but to "coordinator class rule," dictatorships, and persistent though sometimes somewhat altered racism and sexism. The episode rejects Marxism's labor theory of value, denies the practical utility of dialectics, and considers why the tradition seems particularly vulnerable to sectarianism.After then sharing a couple of personal anecdotes, the episode extends invitations to prominent Marxist intellectuals—from Kali Akuno, Tariq Ali, Ben Burgis, Vivek Chibber and Angela Davis, to Terry Eagleton, Max Elbaum, Bill Flether, Nancy Fraser and John Bellamy Foster, to David Harvey, Doug Henwood and Boris Kagarlitsky, to Robin Kelly, Vijay Prashad, Kshama Sawant and Rick Wolff—to address these concerns in the spirit of constructive dialogue. Hopefully one or more will respond. After all, why not?This episode isn't bent on dismissing Marxism's contributions much less any Marxist activists, but on asking essential questions to propel a needed conversation: Does this intellectual tradition, as practiced by real-world actors who have been bent by existing oppressive structures, provide the comprehensive understanding needed for today's multi-faceted struggles? When should we enrich existing frameworks, and when must we entirely transcend them? Do you  want to be called Marxist? If so, why? What conceptual tools will best serve our efforts to create a world beyond capitalism, sexism, racism, authoritarianism, and ecological collapse? Marxism's conceptual tools, or what?Whether you're deeply versed in Marxist theory or approaching these matters for the first time, this episode urges that we together critically examine the intellectual foundations of our activism. What frameworks best position us to understand—and change—our rapidly transforming world?Support the show

07 Jul 2025. We speak to oil expert Matt Stanley to put that in context for us. Plus, it’s a big week in Trumpian economics: tariff threats, deal deadlines, and a “big beautiful” bill passed. We unpack it all with Daniel Richards from Emirates NBD. And PwC’s latest outlook brings a mix of AI-driven opportunity and climate-driven risk, we speak to the team behind the report.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin and John speak with Darcie Draudt-Vejares of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about President Lee Jae-myung's shift to the center and what it means for alliance management under the Trump administration. The discussion covers growing resentment in Seoul over U.S. trade demands, the perception that Washington prioritizes deals over diplomacy and the likelihood that South Korea will face pressure to cut Chinese components from its supply chains. Draudt-Vejares also reflects on how Washington may interpret Seoul's efforts to diversify its strategic partnerships. Guest: Darcie Draudt-Vejares is a Fellow for Korea Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim, Editor John Lee and correspondent Joon Ha Park, diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday. This episode was recorded on Friday, June 20, 2025.  Audio edited by Gaby Magnuso

Episode 342 of RevolutionZ reconsiders how to evaluate success in our struggles against Trumpian fascism.When someone asks how a protest went, what are we really measuring? Our feelings? Media coverage? Participation numbers? Or something more substantive? Being vague about what matters is our movement measurement problem.This episode proposes four essential metrics that truly matter: Did our actions inspire continued involvement? Did we raise consciousness among those who witnessed our efforts? Did we grow commitment and strengthen the movement? And did we communicate to power-holders that we won't back down?Via reflections on experiences during Vietnam War protests, the episode illustrates how unrealistic expectations can demoralize rather than empower. He offers practical suggestions for the upcoming July 17th demonstrations—from coordinated clothing colors to unified messaging—as possible ways to  enhance movement solidarity and impact.The episode goes beyond tactics to strategy including assessing the counterproductive dismissal of Trump supporters as simply "stupid," the strategic limitations of violence, and the false dichotomy between electoral work and direct action. The message is that diverse approaches can coexist within a unified framework if we judge each by its contribution to movement growth and effectiveness.The episode moves beyond subjective feelings toward strategic thinking to  advance progressive goals. The struggle against fascism, all kinds of inequity and injustice, and ecological collapse demands nothing less than our clearest thinking about what works, what doesn't, and how we measure the difference.Support the show

Long-time Republican Commentator Joe Walsh has left the party- but he is now a member of the Democratic party and ready to fight to defend our constitution from the Trumpian fascist takeover. Plus- Thom reads from his book 'Cracking the Code: How to Win Hearts, Change Minds, and Restore America's Original Vision'.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fueled by Trumpian rhetoric, American "patriots" often invoke the name of God as they seek to prohibit others from serving in the armed forces. NOTE: Due to a technical oversight (my error), this week's audio is a bit overmodulated. It'll be corrected for next week.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

[EP 25-239] What a weekend! Israel bombed Iran, the No Kings protests, Democrats racking up the “kills” with the assassination of Democrat lawmakers in Minnesota. More on that in a bit.Did you watch any video of the protests last weekend?PAID protesters, still funded by legacy NGO money. And thankfully there are real journalists exposing the game. What I noticed most about the protests is how the police are taking NO CRAP from protestors. I watched police manhandle unruly protestors.Interestingly, a few No Kings protests were canceled in areas of the country due to…LOW TURNOUT.In DC and Atlanta, protestors were made to remove masks or leave. I saw one woman get arrested for refusing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Israel has launched an unprovoked assault on Iran, including strikes on nuclear facilities and assassinations of several senior military commanders and scientists. In front of the world's media, however, the Netanyahu government is spinning the attack as “preemptive”. Contributor: Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast On our radar: This past week, phone and internet services virtually collapsed across Gaza, as Israel repeatedly bombed transmission stations and communication towers. Meenakshi Ravi explains how Gaza now risks digital isolation. Showdown in LA: A very Trumpian spectacle President Trump has turned Los Angeles into an ideological battleground amid protests against anti-immigration raids. His mobilisation of the National Guard and marines - without the approval of California's state government - has produced made-for-TV images of the kind likely to appeal to the MAGA faithful. For many others, it is yet another sign of a dangerous turn away from civil liberties under his presidency. Featuring: Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin Sarah Mehta – Senior policy counsel, ACLU Jose Olivares – Investigative journalist Will Swaim – Podcast host, Radio Free California

Josh Hammer recounts his harrowing experience seeking shelter in Israel from a Houthi-fired ballistic missile with his wife and daughter. Josh also weighs in on the Los Angeles riot debate back home in the U.S.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wednesday, June 4th, 2025Today, a federal judge rules that prisons must continue to provide gender affirming care to transgender inmates; FEMA staff was left confused after the director said he was unaware that there's a hurricane season; the Department of Veterans Affairs has ordered scientists NOT to publish in medical journals without permission from the administration; Jonathan Joss from  King of the Hill and Parks and Rec was murdered in his neighborhood in what his husband describes as a hate crime; Poland narrowly elects the Trumpian candidate in a global reversal of recent elections; Mayor Ras Baraka is suing Alina Habba and ICE for false arrest and vindictive prosecution; DOGE is actually making government less efficient and more expensive; Trump is weighing new names for Navy ships; Musk blasts the Billionaire Bailout Bill on social media; and Allison delivers your Good News.Thank You, Native PathGet up to 66% Off, free shipping, and a 365-Day Money Back Guarantee at nativekrill.com/dailybeansSat June 14 10am – 12pm PDT AG is hosting NO KINGS Waterfront Park, San Diego— If you can't make it to San Diego, head to fiftyfifty.one or indivisible.org or mobilize.us to find your local rally, or organize one yourself! Donation link - secure.actblue.com/donate/fuelthemovementMSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueCheck out Dana's social media campaign highlighting LGBTQ+ heroes every day during Pride Month -  Dana Goldberg (@dgcomedy.bsky.social)Guest: Guest: Daniel Knowles - Midwest correspondent at The EconomistElon Musk's failure in governmentDaniel Knowles - Economist, @dlknowles - BlueSky, @dlknowles) - Twitter Stories:Nawrocki's win turns Poland toward nationalism and casts doubt on Tusk's centrist government | AP NewsJonathan Joss, 'King of the Hill' voice actor, killed in San Antonio shooting | NBC NewsMusk blasts Trump's agenda bill as a ‘disgusting abomination,' catching White House officials off guard | CNN PoliticsFEMA staff baffled after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say | ReutersExclusive: US veterans agency orders scientists not to publish in journals without clearance | Trump administration | The GuardianNavy set to rename USNS Harvey Milk, mulls new names for other ships named for civil rights leaders | CBS NewsNewark mayor sues New Jersey's top federal prosecutor after arrest at immigration detention site | AP NewsJudge orders Trump admin to maintain gender-affirming care for transgender inmates | POLITICOMissoula, MT Adopts Pride Flag As "Official Flag," Legally Defying Ban On Flying It | Erin In The MorningDOGE vowed to make government more ‘efficient' — but it's doing the opposite | The Washington PostGood Trouble: Trump Burger has locations in Bellville, TX(979-270-5062)Flatonia, TX (361-865-3893)Kemah, TX (281-532-6305)Houston, TX (346-718-2850)THEY HAVE REQUESTED THAT PEOPLE STOP CALLING AND ASKING IF THEY SERVE CHICKEN TACOS!Proton Mail: free email account with privacy and encryptionFind Upcoming Demonstrations And Actions:250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and CelebrationSchedule F comments deadline extended to June 7th Federal Register :: Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service50501 MovementJune 14th Nationwide Demonstrations - NoKings.orgIndivisible.orgShare your Good News or Good Trouble:dailybeanspod.com/goodFrom The Good NewsIndivisibleNOENEMIES - FacebookFlobotsWho is Jeanette Vizguerra, immigrant rights activist fighting deportation in Denver? - CBS ColoradoJ-Rex - SpotifyCancer Care | Southeast PA | Tower HealthReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good Trouble:https://www.dailybeanspod.com/good/ Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

Michael Ledeen, who died on May 17 at age 83, was a prominent figure on the American right since the 1970s. He is most famous, or notorious, as one of the instigators of the Iran/Contra scandal, helping to connect the Reagan administration with an Iranian arms dealer. Beyond that, he was active not just as a writer but also as an activists who often promoted disinformation, most notably the lie about the “weapons of mass destruction” the was used to sell George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq.On this episode of The Time of Monsters, I talked about Ledeen's controversial life with Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest and author of a fine study of neoconservatism, They Knew They Were Right.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's the Mea Culpa Week in Review. T-minus 12 days and counting until election day and Donald Trump is clearly losing badly. While it ain't over till it's over, this one appears to be headed towards a landslide victory for Joe Biden. One of the likely reasons, suburban women have abandoned Donald Trump; defecting in historic numbers. This threatens not just the presidency for Trump but down ballot races as well; suggesting a possible blue wave that would fundamentally reorder Washington as we know it. For the main event, Michael speaks with Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security advisor to Vice President Pence and Covid Task Force member. She resigned from the White house just eight weeks ago and describes a place that was more cult headquarters than presidential home. And where facts are not facts unless they adhere to the Trumpian narratives provided. Troye endured years inside the belly of the beast; doing her best to make a difference only to be stymied by Trump's increasingly i... It's the Mea Culpa Week in Review. T-minus 12 days and counting until election day and Donald Trump is clearly losing badly. While it ain't over till it's over, this one appears to be headed towards a landslide victory for Joe Biden. One of the likely reasons, suburban women have abandoned Donald Trump; defecting in historic numbers. This threatens not just the presidency for Trump but down ballot races as well; suggesting a possible blue wave that would fundamentally reorder Washington as we know it. For the main event, Michael speaks with Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security advisor to Vice President Pence and Covid Task Force member. She resigned from the White house just eight weeks ago and describes a place that was more cult headquarters than presidential home. And where facts are not facts unless they adhere to the Trumpian narratives provided. Troye endured years inside the belly of the beast; doing her best to make a difference only to be stymied by Trump's increasingly incompetent actions. She tells Mea Culpa the whole saga. Thanks for listening... Also, make sure to check out Mea Culpa: The Election Essays for the definitive political document of 2020. Fifteen chapters of raw and honest political writings on Donald Trump from the man who knows him best. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5VKQ6T/ For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out meaculpapodcast.com/merch 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

Oklahoma lawmakers are requiring schools to teach Trumpian lies about the 2020 election, among other right-wing talking points. Plus - Thom reads from 'A Castle in Wartime: One Family, Their Missing Sons, and the Fight to Defeat the Nazis' by Catherine Bailey.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bridget recaps the week in tech news with friend of the pod Francesca Fiorentini, journalist and host of the hilariously smart podcast The Bitchuation Room. Podcast megastar and staunch Trump supporter Theo Von made headlines for a post calling what's happening in Gaza genocide: https://www.newsweek.com/theo-von-gaza-video-donald-trump-middle-east-2075637 Congress's budget bill prohibits states from regulating AI: https://www.techpolicy.press/us-house-passes-10year-moratorium-on-state-ai-laws/ Elon Musk built an emissions-spewing gas power plant in the middle of a Black neighborhood: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/climate/xai-musk-memphis-turbines-pollution Back in 2020, Verizon was a vocal supporter of DEI, but now they've dropped all DEI policies to please their new Trumpian overlords: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/19/nx-s1-5402863/verizon-fcc-frontier-dei-trump The Chicago Sun-Tribune published a list of summer books. It was generated by AI and most of the books are fake. Oops! https://www.404media.co/chicago-sun-times-prints-ai-generated-summer-reading-list-with-books-that-dont-exist/ Follow Francesca Fiorentini: https://www.instagram.com/franifio Listen to The Bitchuation Room: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bitchuation-room/id1438285775 Follow TANGOTI: IG @BridgetMarieInDC TikTok @BridgetMarieInDC YouTube: ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy.In a recent New Yorker essay, our guest, UC Davis anthropologist Manvir Singh, argues, "The Trumpian mystique echoes a dynamic that has occurred for centuries and across cultures. Its core ingredients—an alleged league of pedophiles, a godlike miracle worker, promises of an Edenic restoration—resemble archetypes that have long occupied humanity's imagination. Trump's followers may communicate through memes and message boards, but their faith belongs to a much older mythology: the eternal face-off between shaman and witch, prophet and cabal."In this conversation, Manvir, the author of a new book on "Shamanism," compellingly demonstrates how the MAGA movement — especially in its QAnon-inflected guises — manifests archetypal features of the messianic cult, analogues for which can be found across cultures and historical epochs. On KYE, we haven't often indulged in this sort of critique, for (justifiable) fear of eliding the very specific political conditions that gave rise to Trumpism, but for today: we're going for it! And Manvir was an ideal (and suitably careful) guide to this methodology and way of thinking about our political conjecture.Further Reading:Manvir Singh, "The President Who Became a Prophet," The New Yorker, May 17, 2025.— "How Much Does Our Language Shape Our Thinking?" The New Yorker, Dec 23, 2025.— "Don't Believe What They're Telling You About Misinformation," The New Yorker, April 15, 2024.— Shamanism: The Timeless Religion, (May 2025)

In this dark age of Trumpian rule, is there any glimmer of hope?Yes – lo and behold: Texas!I'll bet you were not expecting that answer. Well, for sure, the Republican clique of arrogant billionaires and Christian supremacists who thought they owned Texas politics didn't expect the comeuppance voters delivered to them in this month's local elections.In city and school board contests across the state, Texans bluntly said to right-wing operatives and officials: We're sick of you – your constant attempts to divide and dictate, ban and bully, privatize and profiteer at the expense of the common good.For example, in the flashing-red suburbs of Fort Worth, where GOP front groups have spent millions in dark-money to take over school boards, Democratic challengers won 11 of 11 races! In Mansfield, the county's third largest city, all five right-wing extremists running for mayor and school board lost. “Mansfield has gone to Hell,” screeched one of the Christian Nationalist activists!No, it's being yanked back to its senses, rejecting hyper-partisan nutballism and church dictatorship in favor of, you know, educating children!Also, voters in Katy, Fort Bend, Plano, Richardson, and other big suburbs – long written off as solid red bastions – produced sweeping progressive victories.This grassroots turnaround is no accident. It's largely the product of a young generation of progressive activists revitalizing the tried-and-true practice of “little-d” democratic organizing – which means showing up in-person, day-in and day-out to connect with workaday people, focusing on their real problems.This is Jim Hightower saying… Of course, this doesn't mean Texas is suddenly blue – but it's on the right path, and that offers hope in other red and purple areas. Remember: The first rule of politics is to show up.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

In this dark age of Trumpian rule, is there any glimmer of hope?

SEASON 3 EPISODE 123: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: Don't be silly, Stephen Miller - you're taking the fall. For contempt of court in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Rogue Deportation Flight cases. The target to at least be fined, maybe jailed, for contempt of court has got to be Stephen Miller. The picture is clarifying slowly, the focus is sharpening painstakingly, but it seems evident now that contempt cases being built by District Judges Jeb Boasberg and Paula Xinis – the effort to get depositions about, and charge somebody with, contempt of court in the abduction of Mr. Abrego Garcia AND the renditioning of dozens of others to El Salvador after Boasberg ordered the plane to NOT take off – the slow, methodical attempt to finally, at long last, about damn time, hold SOMEBODY in the Trump Crime Administration responsible for SOMETHING… this whole move to put somebody behind bars, is, in both courts, targeting… Stephen Miller. Based on reporting by NBC, by the Akron Law Journal, by Brian Beutler in "Off Message" and otters: the finding by Judge Boasberg of probable cause for contempt citations against the Trump Gang, and these depositions scheduled by Judge XINIS are apparently designed to confirm what Miller and the other Trumpian monsters are boasting about in private – Miller is the architect of the deportation scheme and especially its baseline component of cruelty. The man who has allegedly hated Hispanics since a girl he asked out in high school turned him down, is also the architect of the scheme to disobey the District Court orders to bring Abrego Garcia home AND to disobey the Supreme Court in the process. The man who greets every warning from a court or an attorney or a human with a conscience to stop now before it is too late for him, by getting louder, and angrier, and more monstrous, the man behind whatever step towards Ethnic Cleansing is next, is Stephen Miller. And it sure looks like Judges Boasberg and Xinis want to put the man Beutler refers to as the "monstrous twerp-fascist" behind bars. AND TRUMP GETS CRAZIER: Literally wants 11-year olds to give up their dolls and pencils for the sake of his delusion, and doesn't know if he has to uphold the constitution and has just infuriated all the Veterans by re-naming Veterans Day "Victory In World War 1 Day" and creating a "Victory In World War 2 Day" on the anniversary of a day when... World War 2 wasn't won. B-Block (34:30) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Trump clowns Labor Secretary Lori DeRemer-Chavez and Secretary of Lies Karoline Leavitt tie with some whoppers. Jesse Watters goes into a cave with Elon Musk. And a pretend reporter named Myles gets told to Eff Off by Ilhan Omar. (41:17) SPORTSBALLCENTER: Tomorrow is the 71st anniversary of the day in 1954 when Roger Bannister became the first to ever run a mile in less than four minutes. Except that he WASN'T the first to ever run a mile in less than four minutes. He wasn't even the first in England, where it had been done 200 years earlier. Never mind, say, in Kenya. (59:30) SPORTSBALL CENTER, CONTINUED: The reason all Bannister's predecessors are unknown is: they were erased from the records by the self-appointed "Amateur Authorities" of the 19th Century who wanted to make sure only "Gentlemen" held the honors. Gentlemen - and White People.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has assembled a dream team, but when will we see material results? In this episode, I dig into the latest news indicating we're about to see real justice, an update on the tariffs, and a classic Trumpian surprise at the White House lawn. Hakeem Jeffries to Lead Bipartisan Delegation to Denmark to Discuss Greenland https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/hakeem-jeffries-to-lead-bipartisan-delegation-to-denmark-to-discuss-greenland-5846165?src_src=partner&src_cmp=BonginoReport Trump-approved Strikes Have Killed 74 Terrorists Seeking To Attack U.S. Homeland https://justthenews.com/government/security/wedtrump-has-killed-74-leaders-terror-groups-hoping-strike-us-homeland-mike Trump Lands Blow Against Tren de Aragua https://dailycaller.com/2025/04/22/trump-lands-blow-against-tren-de-aragua/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this edition of 28 Trends Later, Jack and special guest co-host Sofiya Alexandra discuss the White House Easter Egg Roll (whatever that is), Sweden's coverage of the great Moose Migration and very happy cows, scientists capturing footage of the Colossal Squid for the first time, Mike Lindell in financial ruin?, the new '28 Years Later' trailer, Canadian liberal operatives planting Trumpian buttons at a conservative conference and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist Stephen Moore joins to discuss how this tariff strategy, allegedly inspired by "The Art of the Deal," could spark a global "Trumpian revolution." Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm joins to explain why his company brought the dire wolf back from extinction. Economist Richard Werner warns of escalating U.S.-China trade tensions, urging Trump to boost local banks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump announced a 90-day pause on most tariffs while intensifying pressure on China. Economist Stephen Moore joins to discuss how this tariff strategy, allegedly inspired by "The Art of the Deal," could spark a global "Trumpian revolution." Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm joins to explain why his company brought the dire wolf back from extinction. Glenn and Ben also discuss whether China's potential human bioengineering drives the CIA's investment in Colossal. Economist Richard Werner warns of escalating U.S.-China trade tensions, urging Trump to boost local banks. He also makes the case that the CIA played a role in creating the European Union. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices