Podcasts about trumpist

Jack LaRoche and first-time contributor Trey Grace go undercover on the National Mall for the May 17th Christian nationalist event Rededicate 250. This White House-linked rally features prayer, fasting, patriotic worship, shofar blasts, AI George Washington, and rumors about whether Trump might appear in person (he didn't.) What begins as a sweaty field trip through Freedom250 pageantry turns into a tour of the increasingly fused worlds of Christian nationalism, the New Apostolic Reformation, Silicon Valley-backed prayer tech, AI evangelism, and Trump-era state religion cosplay. Along the way, the episode digs into America Prays, Pray.com, Peter Thiel-adjacent religious technology, Brian Alarid's dream of praying for every person on Earth by name, Lou Engle and Dutch Sheets' spiritual warfare rhetoric, and the “Appeal to Heaven” flag as a Christian nationalist signal. Religious studies scholar Dr. Matthew D. Taylor joins to explain how NAR networks, charismatic prophecy, and Trumpist politics have converged into a movement that sees itself not as lobbying the state, but as reclaiming it for God. Also: The Great Controversy, the Freedom Truck, the “algorithm of liberty,” and the ballroom theology of Eric Metaxas. Matthew D. Taylor's Reckonings https://matthewdtaylor.substack.com/ Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation https://icjs.org/charismatic-revival-fury/ The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506497785/The-Violent-Take-It-by-Force Subscribe for $5 a month to get all the premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/qaa Check out our new podcast series network Cursed Media! All episodes of Spectral Voyager Season 2 are out now! Binge the entirety of Truly Tradly Deeply by Annie Kelly and Megan Kelly as well as Science in Transition by Liv Agar and Spencer Barrows: https://www.cursedmedia.net Produced by Liv Agar & Corey Klotz. Theme by Nick Sena. Additional music by Pontus Berghe and Jake Rockatansky. Theme Vocals by THEY/LIVE (instagram.com/theyylivve / sptfy.com/QrDm). Cover Art by Pedro Correa: (pedrocorrea.com) https://www.qaapodcast.com QAA was known as the QAnon Anonymous podcast.

Marco Rubio reist morgen nach Helsingborg zum NATO-Außenministertreffen. Als Europas liebster Trumpist oder als geschickt positionierter Kandidat für 2028? Hans von der Burchard analysiert Rubios Balanceakt zwischen Europa-Diplomatie und Hardliner-Linie. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview die stellvertretende SPD-Fraktionsvorsitzende Siemtje Möller. Angesichts der US-Pläne, massive Truppenteile aus Deutschland abzuziehen, stellt sich die Frage: Wie wehrhaft ist die Bundeswehr eigentlich im Alleingang? Rasmus Buchsteiner ordnet ein, warum das Verhältnis zwischen dem Bund und den Ländern gerade so schlecht ist. Anlass ist die Konferenz der Chefs der Staatskanzleien, zu der Kanzler Friedrich Merz seinen Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei schickt, statt selbst zu kommen. Den neuen Instagram-Kanal des POLITICO Berlin Playbook Podcast findet ihr hier. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski: Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 information@axelspringer.de Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Orbán rigged the electoral system to highly benefit the winner. He thought he would never face the realistic possibility of losing. When someone actually threatened his plan, he just couldn't imagine it. And that person got more than 55% — a two-thirds-plus majority. Orbán shot himself in the foot.” — Marc Loustau On April 12, Viktor Orbán — the populist who invented the illiberal playbook — got booted out of office by the Hungarian electorate. His defeat, says Marc Loustau, Harvard PhD and fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University, represents a playbook for defeating illiberalism. Orbán had rigged the electoral system so dramatically — giving the winner 1.5 votes for every vote the loser got — that when Péter Magyar got more than 55 percent of the vote, Orbán's own system destroyed him. The gods must have their fun — Hungarian poetic justice. Orbán's cronies, Loustau reports, are fleeing to Dubai with their hot rod car collections and ill-gotten gains from sixteen years in power. But the mid- and upper-tier bureaucrats, Loustau warns, are still in office. Not having any other skills, they're going to be difficult to dislodge. Making Hungary a functional democracy again won't happen overnight. The goal of Péter Magyar's government, Loustau says, is to “make Hungary boring again.” That should be the lesson for the anti-Trumpists in his native America, Loustau says. Build the broadest possible coalition, never kick anyone out of it, and refuse to be drawn onto the deadly culture-war terrain. When Orbán banned the Budapest Pride parade to force Péter Magyar to take a stand on LGBTQ issues, Magyar flew to a Greek island. It was, Loustau says, the smartest move of the campaign. Make America boring again. The anti-Hollywood playbook for defeating illiberalism. Are you watching Gavin & Kamala? Five Takeaways •       Poetic Justice: Orbán's System Destroyed Him: Orbán rigged Hungary's electoral system to massively benefit the winner: if you get more than 55 percent of the vote, you get roughly 70 percent of parliamentary seats, and effectively 1.5 votes for every vote your opponent receives. He did this because he never imagined anyone could get above 50 percent against him. When Péter Magyar did — comfortably — Orbán's own system gave Magyar a supermajority. Loustau's verdict: it is rare that there is genuine poetic justice in life. This is one of those moments. •       The Cronies Are Heading for Dubai: Sixteen years of a two-thirds majority in parliament allowed Orbán to pack every institution in Hungary with loyalists — friends, family, friends of friends — from top to bottom. In the end, this became part of his undoing: when you bleed out talent and fill institutions with cronies, you end up with an inept government. The most visible Orbán figures are now heading to Dubai with their hot rod car collections. But the mid-level “authoritarian cadre circles” burrowed into every institution will be much harder to remove. It will take years to restore functional public services. •       Make Hungary Boring Again: The incoming government's agenda, in Loustau's formulation, is to make Hungary boring again. No more brinkmanship between Russia, Brussels, and Washington. No more geopolitical risk-taking. Hungary belongs in the EU, and if the EU likes anything, it is stultifying bureaucracy. That, paradoxically, may be the best thing for ordinary Hungarians. It does not signal the end of the far-right threat globally. So long as Putin is alive, Loustau argues, we must remain vigilant. •       Magyar Goes to Greece: The Culture War Lesson: One of Orbán's favourite tactics was to force opposition politicians to take a stand on LGBTQ issues. He banned the Budapest Pride parade specifically to create a trap for Magyar — either come out against the ban and look soft on “family values,” or attend the parade and look radical. Magyar's response: he went on holiday to Greece. He wasn't even in the country. Loustau calls it one of the slyest moves of the campaign. The lesson for Trump's opponents: never engage on the terrain your opponent has chosen. •       Can Disaffected Trumpians Defeat Trumpism? Magyar came from within Orbán's government and broke with him at a moment of genuine moral crisis — a scandal involving pardons for those who covered up sexual abuse at state-run orphanages. That moral authority gave him a platform. Loustau's honest assessment: disaffected Trumpians who had any dealings with Trump are radioactive, perhaps permanently. But the broader lesson holds: when government inaction harms the innocent and powerless, someone who stands up and says “enough is enough” can build a majority. Magyar didn't win on policy. He won on decency. About the Guest Marc Loustau is a Harvard PhD, Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University in Budapest, and author of the At the Edges Substack. He writes on Central and Eastern European politics, religion, and society. References: •       At the Edges by Marc Loustau — his Substack on Central and Eastern European politics. •       Episode 2880: Gal Beckerman on How to Be a Dissident — the companion episode on the theory of resistance that Magyar's campaign enacted. •       Episode 2881: Adrian Wooldridge on The Revolutionary Center — on the crisis of liberalism that Orbán exploited and Magyar may have reversed. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters: (00:31) - How significant was the Hungarian election in historical terms? (01:30) - Orbán's authoritarianism: model for the world, now defeated (02:56) - Was the left paranoid? How did Orbán actually lose? (03:50) - Poetic justice: Orbán rigged the system and it destroyed him (05:46) - Corruption uncovered: the regime unraveling (06:38) - Sixteen years of cronyism: what remains? (07:51) - Authoritarian cadre circles: how long to dislodge them? (08:24) - The cronies heading for Dubai with their hot rod collections (10:38) - Romania, Ceauşescu, and celebrat...

Alex Jones is taking the demise of InfoWars well but not really. The Democrats won a redistricting vote but a Trumpist judge c-blocked it. Spirit Airlines got a bailout. United Airlines pushed the rise in oil prices onto their customers. The Young Turks were late to the party when they suggested there’s something fishy about the supposed Shitler “shooting” in Butler. Ships have been getting through man-baby’s blockade of Iran. A Trump appointee in DHS was saddled with a cheap benefactor who she met on a sugar-daddy dating site. RFK, Jr., the gravely voiced HHS czar and husband of actor Cheryl Hines, caught so much deserved shade during a congressional hearing. The Secretary of the Navy was sacked by Kegs-breath.

Adrian Goldberg discusses Viktor Orban's electoral defeat in Hungary and what it means for Trumpists and populists around the globe, with Dr Georgios Samaras, an expert on European politics at the School for Government and the Policy Institute in London. Produced by Adrian Goldberg in Birmingham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Radio Free Humanity: “Episode 154: Latin Americans vs. The Donroe Doctrine” The co-hosts welcome Latin American Marxist-Humanist Francisco to discuss reactions in the region to the abduction of Maduro. Current events segment: the Trumpist war on Iran.

Welcome back to Zooming In at The UnPopulist.The Trumpist right has a very specific vision of masculinity—one built on violence, domination, and a kind of romanticized manual labor. It's a vision they promote loudly, and just as loudly resent when many men don't find it compelling.In this episode, host Aaron Ross Powell is joined by Toby Buckle, host of the Political Philosophy Podcast and contributor to The UnPopulist, to talk about what this vision leaves out—and what it reveals. They explore the gap between the cultural script being pushed by reactionary politics and the actual lives many men are choosing to lead. They discuss the adolescent nature of far-right masculinity, the politics of resentment that animate it, and how liberalism can do more than just oppose it—it can offer a richer, freer, and more pluralistic account of what a good life looks like.We hope you enjoy.Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Get full access to The UnPopulist at www.theunpopulist.net/subscribe

https://media.blubrry.com/counterspin/content.blubrry.com/counterspin/CounterSpin260227.mp3 Right-click here to download this episode (“Save link as…”). American Prospect (2/23/26) This week on CounterSpin: US news media don't show a serious interest in history generally, as you can see from many outlets' pretense to offer “all you need to know” about current events in a matter of minutes. In the case of the Trump administration, presenting US history through media is important and relevant—as long as Trumpists are fully in charge of who defines what happened and what it means. So when Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr—he who attacks basic anti-discrimination measures in media, and overtly threatens the licenses of outlets determined insufficiently deferential to right-wing powers on the daily—says, “I believe in the greatness of our country,” you're of course right to beware. And all the more when he adds that he's “looking forward to broadcasters showcasing the country's inspiring history” by taking a pledge that he's drawn up, committing to do the right thing with regard to America's 250th birthday, for which the White House has big plans. But the man actively orchestrating interference-unto-cancellation of talk shows deemed guilty of “improper ideology” wants us to know that participation in the pledge, by the media outlets under his regulatory control, is “voluntary.” If you didn't already understand how vital is an understanding of US history, rooted in who's allowed to tell it, you would suspect it from this White House's ham-handed efforts to twist and erase and shout over it. There's a screaming void that journalists could be working to fill. Some are, some aren't. But as we look to encourage a rising up of people in response to the anti-democratic juggernaut, we can remember the words of Ida B. Wells: “The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.” We talk about attacks on, and defenses of, our ability to learn and learn from this country's history with Naomi Bethune. She's the John Lewis Writing Fellow at the American Prospect. She’s featured this week on CounterSpin. https://media.blubrry.com/counterspin/content.blubrry.com/counterspin/CounterSpin260227Bethune.mp3 Plus Janine Jackson takes a quick look at coverage of Trump’s “Board of Peace.” https://media.blubrry.com/counterspin/content.blubrry.com/counterspin/CounterSpin260227Banter.mp3

W najnowszych Cebulach na Torcie porozmawialiśmy między innymi o:- Programie SAFE.- Zrzucie 3 milionów stron dokumentów, związanych ze sprawą Epsteina, którego to zrzutu dokonał DOJ. - Planowanym finansowym wspieraniu skrajnej (i w domyśle antyunijnej) prawicy europejskiej przez Trumpistów. - Międzynarodowej Karierze byłego już prezydenta Andrzeja Dudy.- Włodzimierzu Czarzastym, który zdenerwował amerykańskiego ambasadora.I o tym, jak to obecny prezydent z dobroci serca wspiera swoim wizerunkiem firmę odzieżową. Zachęcamy do wspierania nas na Patronite:https://patronite.pl/Podkast_Dezinformacyjny

The world is more dangerous than it's ever been. The US has escalated a campaign of reckless violence across the globe to try to offset its long-term decline. This strategy is not a Trumpist aberration but is fully backed by the whole American machine. The extreme adventurism we are witnessing is more dangerous than US warmongering up to now, not only because it's so widespread, fire-raising in multiple theatres simultaneously, but because of the utterly brazen and provocative way it's being conducted. All pretence at restraint has been removed.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, były książę Andrzej, Woody Allen – to tylko niektóre nazwiska, które przewijają się w nowo opublikowanych dokumentach dotyczących sprawy przestępcy seksualnego Jeffreya Epsteina. Materiały zawierają m.in. 2 tys. filmów wideo i 180 tys. zdjęć, które przeszukują dziennikarze w poszukiwaniu nowych faktów. W tej sprawie Donald Tusk zdecydował o powołaniu zespołu analitycznego i być może rozpoczęciu śledztwa w związku ze skandalem w USA związanym z pedofilią. Premier powiedział także, że w sprawie skandalu pojawiły się „pierwsze informacje dotyczące osobników, którzy na przykład informowali z Krakowa pana Epsteina, że mają już grupę polskich kobiet lub dziewcząt”. Dodał, że takich śladów jest w sprawie więcej. Jak komentują tę sprawę Roman Imielski i Bartosz T. Wieliński? Więcej podcastów na: https://wyborcza.pl/podcast. Piszcie do nas w każdej sprawie na: listy@wyborcza.pl.

I've been fascinated to watch Donald Trump's Board of Peace change as time goes on. When it was first suggested, it seemed to me to be part of a land grab by the United States. A real estate consortium whose goal was to raise finance and rebuild Gaza into a new Riviera. A gaudy Trumpist holiday city more for the rich than the dispossessed people of Gaza. But as time has gone on, it's transmogrified into something with far bigger ambition. It's become a new international club led by the United States. A golf club on steroids. First the President has to invite you and then you have to pay a billion dollars to get into the club - and away you go. The President has now stated that its mandate is not just Gaza but to broker any peace anywhere in the world, and it's starting to sound very much like the United Nations - but a United Nations under US control. Donald Trump and many like him have often railed against the UN and other globalist bodies like the WEF and World Health Organisation, they've claimed they take away a nation's sovereignty and puts it in the hands of unelected bureaucrats. They might be true if the UN actually had any power. Any power it has has been voluntarily ceded to it by nations who can't be bothered cleaning up any messes. But the UN has never had power, or else they would have stopped any number of conflicts and solved any number of crises. But that hasn't stopped panic mongers claiming the UN is coming to take away our rights. So they say the Board of Peace is not a formal replacement for the UN. But it sure looks like Donald Trump's Trojan Horse to collapse the UN. Whether it becomes influential or remains symbolic depends on how many countries ultimately join and how it operates in practice. 35 countries have paid the sub and signed up for it. New Zealand on Friday decided not to and kept with the UN as the global body of peace. They did it very carefully with no admonishment on the United States, which is a smart thing to do. It appears that Trump not only wants to make America great again, but also make the world American. Good luck to him on that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PLUS: Meet coastal Georgia's Patti Hewitt and Cobb-based candidates Danielle Bell (GA-44) and Michael Garza (Cobb School Board)+Georgia's election system is back under the microscope as Ron asks why the renewed push for hand-marked paper ballots doesn't include anyone on the left, plus examines (ho hum) the latest drama from the Georgia's State Election Board. The Trumpists on that board insist on making a nothing-burger out of Fulton County's unsigned tabulation tapes, but will they be the ones to force a final (?) recount of the 2020 presidential election? +Later, Ron is joined by Patti Hewitt, executive director of the Coastal Georgia People's PAC, who explains her grassroots strategy to rebuild Democratic infrastructure in rural Georgia—from protecting the Okefenokee to tackling rising energy costs and health care access.+I can't decide, sometimes, if I can agreeably disagree with Erick Erickson or not, because - at his core - he's a right wing disinformation conduit. Make no mistake - he's no fan of Donald Trump (though he's glad Trump won) - but for someone who proclaims to be driven by his faith, he A) calls a progressive podcaster (Jennifer Welch) "horse face" and B)sort of loses sight of the apt analogy presented when protestors confronted a purported (DHS doesn't reveal agents' identities) ICE agent who ministers in the Minneapolis area. It also begs the question: why does Erick think a church isn't the place to make people a little uncomfortable when that's exactly what a minister's supposed to do with his congregation? Also, why didn't think ordained minister use the opportunity bring people together? Lastly, how can I loathe Erick when he occasionally "broke clocks" his way into being (somewhat) right about young male isolationism? Again, though, when your base sneers at people who put "COEXIST" decals on their cars and is the party of "white flight," home schooling and/or private schooling, aren't you contributing to this sociological epidemic?+Ron spotlights collaboration on the ground with Danielle Bell, a candidate for State House District 44, and Micheal Garza, running for Cobb County School Board, as they team up to connect policy, schools, and families and even campaign events.Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#TheRonShow #HearGeorgiaNow #GeorgiaPolitics #PattyHewitt #DanielleBell #MichaelGarza #PaperBallots #GAPolitics #ElectionIntegrity #GeorgiaElections

SEASON 4 EPISODE 50: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (2:30) SPECIAL COMMENT: The newest crimes this week mean he's now committed 32 of the 40 "sins" Thomas Jefferson accused King George III of in The Declaration of Independence: He's telling those protesting the dead on the streets of Iran that he'll defend them while telling those protesting the dead on the streets of Minneapolis that his 'government' was right to kill them. He's raided the home of a journalist, trampling the 1st Amendment He's threatened taxation without representation over sanctuary cities He's unilaterally cut off visas from 75 countries (including thirteen countries headed here in June for soccer's World Cup) Trump has now lost any remaining moral authority to continue as president of this country. We must peacefully counteract his increasingly repressive and immoral and violent actions and threats and what looks like only two options regarding the midterms and 2028: he wants to either fix the elections for Trumpists or eliminate them outright. Object? He’ll buy you or blackmail you or hire somebody to KILL you. I mean, what are ICE agents if not private paramilitary gangsters, hired by Trump, to kill you? On what Trump promises is “the day of reckoning and retribution” against Minnesota. What do we do next? B-Block (30:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Bill Maher bristles at a joke (well, when was the last time he actually made, or heard, a joke?) There's another new idiot Congresswoman who wants Tim Walz arrested over the murder of Renee Good. And the Fox News writer who believes we are under attack by gangs of ANTIFA WINE MOMS. C-Block (41:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: The "Ford Finger" incident with Trump reminded me of the day the right wing tried to bury Tom Hanks over what they thought was disrespect to staffers at a movie event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick turns his attention to the economic chaos brewing in Washington. With Donald Trump threatening a criminal inquiry into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, we explore the dangerous politicization of America's central bank.Why is the independence of the Fed so crucial to the global financial system? What happens when a president tries to bully interest rates down to win an election? Nick argues that Trump's erratic behavior, combined with the weaponization of the dollar, is accelerating the process of "de-dollarization"—an existential threat to American power far greater than any tariff war.From the exorbitant privilege of the dollar to the looming debt crisis, we unpack the mechanics of imperial decline. Is Trump about to crash the only thing keeping the US military machine afloat?Plus: A reminder for history students—tickets are now available for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on January 26th!Key Topics:The War on the Fed: Trump's attempt to seize control of monetary policy.De-Dollarization: Why global investors are losing faith in the greenback.Imperial Overstretch: How the dollar funds America's global military footprint.Stalinist Paranoia: Comparing Trump's use of the FBI to historical purges.Listen to this episode advert free on Patreon hereAlso, you can sign up for the Explaining History Russian Revolution Masterclass hereExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Eric and Eliot pay their respects to the late Vice President Dick Cheney before welcoming their guest Laura Field to discuss her book Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right. They explore the origins of the effort to create an intellectual ecosystem for Trumpism starting with the Claremont Institute and Michael Anton's infamous "Flight 93" article in the Claremont Review of Books. Laura explains the influence of philosopher Leo Strauss on these early efforts as well as Strauss's student Harry Jaffa. They discuss the emergence of post-liberalism, Catholic integralism, and the arguments made on behalf of these positions by Patrick Deneen and Adam Vermeule. They also discuss national conservatives, techno-monarchists, and advocates of Red Caesarism like Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin. Finally, they touch on the openly theocratic efforts of Christian nationalists to fit into the Trumpist universe, and the overlaps and contradictions among these various Trumpist movements. Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right https://a.co/d/eeTmFrT Eric's Reflections on Vice President Dick Cheney:  https://thedispatch.com/article/dick-cheney-conservatism-republican-party/

Economic Slowdown and Election Observations in Indiana and Pennsylvania. Jim McTague identifies signs of an economic slowdown affecting people beyond the lowest economic rung. Restaurant business in Indiana is down 3 to 5%, and expensive home renovations have "dried up." Costco shoppers are exhibiting extreme caution, buying essentials with little impulse spending. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a large turnout resulted in Democratic victories, suggesting voter reaction against local Republicans perceived as "Trumpists." Anticipated layoffs at Amazon and Walmart are expected to impact local employment.

SHOW 11-7-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE MUCH DEBATED AI VALUATIONS. FIRST HOUR 9-915 California Politics and West Coast Issues. Jeff Bliss reports on California Governor Gavin Newsom's successful Proposition 50 to reshape congressional districts, a move linked to increasing Newsom's presidential visibility. Newsom's public persona is increasingly marked by anger and profanity aimed at political opponents. Other issues include Las Vegas resorts reconsidering "nickel-and-diming" practices, ongoing regulatory hurdles delaying rebuilding in Maui, and routine fires in LA's growing homeless encampments. 915-930 Canadian Politics, US Trade Relations, and Energy Pipeline Development. Conrad Black discusses a domestic Canadian political misunderstanding involving Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford over an anti-tariff ad that annoyed President Trump. The focus shifts to Canadian energy policy, noting the need for new pipelines to move oil from Alberta east, west, and south. Carney's government has tentatively agreed to approve a second pipeline to northern British Columbia, which would more than double the daily oil shipment capacity to the west. 930-945 Supreme Court Arguments on Presidential Tariff Authority and NYC Mayor-Elect. Professor Richard Epstein analyzes Supreme Court arguments regarding the President's expansive use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs, predicting a likely 7-2 ruling against the administration. Epstein argues that viewing successful worldwide trade as an "emergency" is intellectually flawed and an abuse of executive discretion. Separately, he expresses concern that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist lacking administrative experience, risks impoverishing the city by ignoring competitive federalism. 945-1000 Supreme Court Arguments on Presidential Tariff Authority and NYC Mayor-Elect. Professor Richard Epstein analyzes Supreme Court arguments regarding the President's expansive use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs, predicting a likely 7-2 ruling against the administration. Epstein argues that viewing successful worldwide trade as an "emergency" is intellectually flawed and an abuse of executive discretion. Separately, he expresses concern that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist lacking administrative experience, risks impoverishing the city by ignoring competitive federalism. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Economic Slowdown and Election Observations in Indiana and Pennsylvania. Jim McTague identifies signs of an economic slowdown affecting people beyond the lowest economic rung. Restaurant business in Indiana is down 3 to 5%, and expensive home renovations have "dried up." Costco shoppers are exhibiting extreme caution, buying essentials with little impulse spending. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a large turnout resulted in Democratic victories, suggesting voter reaction against local Republicans perceived as "Trumpists." Anticipated layoffs at Amazon and Walmart are expected to impact local employment. 1015-1030 Italian Defense Strategy and the Geopolitical Situation. Lorenzo Fiori discusses Italy's defense buildup using EU loan deals to acquire new armored vehicles from Germany's Rheinmetall through a joint venture with Leonardo. This modernization is crucial as Italy is strategically situated near the Ukrainian conflict and faces risks from troubled North African countries, particularly potential Russian influence in Libya. Although the military is needed for disaster relief, public opinion often remains against increasing defense expenditures. 1030-1045 Spacefaring News: NASA, SpaceX Records, and Global Space Issues. Bob Zimmerman reports on the renomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator following a previous withdrawal. SpaceX is setting new launch records, aiming for close to 180 launches this year, though an FAA launch curfew might jeopardize this prediction. Other topics include Boeing avoiding criminal charges regarding the 737 Max crashes, opposition to the EU Space Act, Starlab's commercial space station development, and China's stranded crew due to space debris damage to their Shenzhou capsule. 1045-1100 Spacefaring News: NASA, SpaceX Records, and Global Space Issues. Bob Zimmerman reports on the renomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator following a previous withdrawal. SpaceX is setting new launch records, aiming for close to 180 launches this year, though an FAA launch curfew might jeopardize this prediction. Other topics include Boeing avoiding criminal charges regarding the 737 Max crashes, opposition to the EU Space Act, Starlab's commercial space station development, and China's stranded crew due to space debris damage to their Shenzhou capsule. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 Augustine's Response to the Sack of Rome and Theological Battles. Professor Katherine Conybeare discusses Augustine, the African, and his response to the 410 AD sacking of Rome, which motivated him to write The City of God. The work defends Christianity by arguing Rome was always vulnerable. The source also covers the "rigged" Council of Carthage against the Donatists, Augustine's role in developing the just war theory, and his debate against Pelagianism, which led to the formulation of original sin, transmitted through sexual intercourse. 1115-1130 1130-1145 1145-1200 FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests. 1215-1230 Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests. 1230-1245 The Trillion-Dollar Space Race: Musk (Hare) vs. Bezos (Tortoise). Richard Smith compares the space race between Elon Musk's SpaceX ("the hare") and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ("the tortoise"). Blue Origin operates under the cautious motto Gradatim Ferociter, funded by Bezos's personal wealth, aiming to move heavy industry off Earth. SpaceX is driven by Musk's "existential" goal to make humanity interplanetary, operating with urgency. SpaceX ensures independence by funding its ambitious projects, including Starship, through the revenue generated by Starlink. 1245-100 AM The Trillion-Dollar Space Race: Musk (Hare) vs. Bezos (Tortoise). Richard Smith compares the space race between Elon Musk's SpaceX ("the hare") and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ("the tortoise"). Blue Origin operates under the cautious motto Gradatim Ferociter, funded by Bezos's personal wealth, aiming to move heavy industry off Earth. SpaceX is driven by Musk's "existential" goal to make humanity interplanetary, operating with urgency. SpaceX ensures independence by funding its ambitious projects, including Starship, through the revenue generated by Starlink.

This week, the Lads are taking the sword to Trump's big deal with China. The South Korean talks were heralded by both sides as a breakthrough. They reached agreements on US soybean exports, the supply of rare earth minerals, and the materials used in production of the drug fentanyl. They managed to resolve the Nexperia crisis by means of a simple volte face. But in an era where trade deals tend to come and go, Andrew and Philip are picking this one out as significant. A moment where the Trumpists have had to bend the knee to the rising power, and thereby, set out the trajectory of the next decade. Is this The Sorpaso? To listen in full to this hour long special, you'll need to go to Patreon, and pay Andrew and Philip 5 £ $ €. Just google Patreon + Multipolarity.

SEASON 4 EPISODE 29: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (2:30) SPECIAL COMMENT: The correct question has been lying there, invisible in the forest, for the trees. It was Mary Trump who finally saw it – and asked it: “Why the hell (do) they KEEP giving him cognitive tests?” That’s IT - isn’t it? THAT'S the question. None of the details, none of the giraffes versus elephants, none of his stupid boastful insults about it, none of the small stuff. It's the big picture. Why the hell DO they keep giving him cognitive tests? And I’ll add a corollary to Mary Trump's burst of simple genius: Why the hell do they KEEP giving him cognitive tests almost exactly six months apart? Friday October 10, 2015 at Walter Reed, which he boasted about on board Air Force One this week. And Friday April 11, 2015, which he had also boasted about on board Air Force One last spring. Those dates are almost six months apart. 182 days. If they’re not giving him pre-scheduled cognitive tests every six months that’s a helluva coincidence. Why the hell do they keep giving him cognitive tests? And I’ll add a second corollary to Mary Trump’s question: why did they give him an MRI? Is it the first MRI to accompany a cognitive test? What was it an MRI of? I mean it may be irrelevant (I once had an MRI to see how my sinuses were draining correctly). You really CAN get MRIs for almost trivial stuff. But you don’t get cognitive tests for trivial stuff. Why the hell do they keep giving him cognitive tests? PLUS: Trump says the Constitution prohibits him from running for president again. Again, mid-flight, after boasting about things that aren't real, he said: “If you read it it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run." So that’s that, huh? That’s what all the experts say. The same experts who said there was no Presidential Immunity. So – what happens next? He just changes his mind? Or decides this term is eight years not four? Or he just cancels the 2028 election? This isn't bluster and it isn't trolling. They might get away with it and they might not, but there are plans. And the more we're convinced they can never pull them off, the more likely we are to see another "presidential immunity" ruling from The Supreme Court. Or another Aileen Cannon. Or another January 6. B-Block (24:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Steve Bannon wants to expel Zohran Mamdani from this country. Hell, we should expel Bannon. If we can find a truck that can carry that much blubber. There's a media writer named Rich Greenfield who has extrapolated from the possibility that Comcast might buy CNN and merge it with MSNBC and he has the exact right person to run it: Charlie Kirk's widow (a bible student). And as ludicrous as that sounds, the guy now running CNN wasn't even home from his visit to the White House to try to butter up Trump and the Trumpists when one of the Trumpists mocked him on twitter for visiting. Today, appeasers not only lose, they get flamed on social media. C-Block (36:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: With the Dodgers in the World Series again it is time to hurry back to the greatest moment in their Los Angeles history: Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit homer even though three-quarters of his body was barely movable, to win Game One of the 1988 World Series and set them on the path to one of the greatest upsets in baseball history, over the vaunted Oakland A's. Gibson's homer was a surprise to everybody. Except me. Because I predicted it just before the first pitch of that final inning began. And there's a WITNESS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ludzie, ludzie... czy wy wiecie co się dzieje? W Ameryce kochają Adolfa. Tego Adolfa. Młodzi Republikanie na tajnym niby czacie wypisywali do siebie o komorach gazowych, paleniu ludzi poparciu dla niewolnictwa i nazimu. Tak. Z chwilę z pastorem Pawłem Chojeckim spróbujemy zanalizowac sytuację w Ameryce, która wygląda coraz bardziej... apokaliptycznie. A w Polsce - o rzucaniu napalmu mówi się nie w tajnych grupach, tylko ze sceny, głośno. A politycy PiS promują je i zapowiadają, że będzie więcej. Poruszymy też dziś sprawę trupa w łóżku księdza. Kościół twierdzi, że zbadał sprawę, ale co znalazł, to nie powie. A prokuratura... wygląda jakby chciała ślady gubić, a nie znaleźć. A minął rok. #Trump #republikanie #USA #IPPTVNaŻywo -------

This is McCarthyism 2.0. Since Charlie Kirk's assassination, the Trump administration has been speed-running an attack on the “radical left.” And the tactics it has been using are darkly reminiscent of the Red Scare of the 1940s and '50s. So what can that period teach us about the current moment and what the Trump administration might do next? How far could this go? Corey Robin is a political theorist at Brooklyn College. He's an expert on McCarthyism and the author of the book “The Reactionary Mind,” one of the most insightful books you can read on the Trumpist right. In this conversation, he walks through what happened in the first and second Red Scares and what made him start worrying about the Trump administration.This episode contains strong language.Mentioned:Red Scare by Clay Risen“How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump's Arms” by Ross DouthatThe Furies by Arno J. MayerBook Recommendations:On the Slaughter by Hayim Nahman BialikNaming Names by Victor S. NavaskyCitizen Marx by Bruno LeipoldThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.htmlThis episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick and Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Kelsey Kudak. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota and Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show's production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Beverly Gage and Clay Risen. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

There is breaking news on CNN: Utah prosecutors have charged the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk with murder. The Justice Department has announced it will seek the death penalty against the 22-year-old suspect.I have a lot of breaking comments to make, and the first is this: we are learning that the shooter, a 22-year-old young man who shot and killed Kirk, grew up in a Republican household — a white, suburban home. This already complicates the narratives forming around the case.Reports suggest there was a conversation between the shooter and his roommate — or his boyfriend's roommate — who happened to be transitioning. In that exchange, the shooter allegedly described his father as a “diehard MAGA fan, a diehard supporter, a diehard racist.” This is not incidental background; it reveals something about the environment in which the suspect was formed.Predictably, Trumpists and radical Republicans are already spinning this, pointing fingers at the left, claiming that the shooter was “radicalized” by liberal culture. They even threaten war against liberals and liberal institutions in response. But the facts undermine that narrative. There is no evidence that this young man was radicalized by the left. Psychology tells us something different.What we are seeing here is a clash of identities within one home. The father, wrapped up in Trump's MAGA bandwagon, moved further right. The son, in rebellion, moved in the opposite direction. This is not unusual. Developmental psychology shows us that children in politically or religiously rigid homes often push against those boundaries. Here, the son's rebellion was intensified by his father's extreme positions, and it spiraled into something tragic.This is not about absolving the shooter. Murder is murder. But if we are serious about preventing tragedies like this, we must understand radicalization not as a simple product of “the other side,” but as something that grows within fractured households, in communities where intolerance and extremism feed one another.The lesson? America's culture wars are not waged only in politics or online. They take root in living rooms, at dinner tables, between fathers and sons. And when we ignore the psychology of rebellion, resentment, and identity, we risk more young people turning violent — not because they were “programmed” by one side, but because they were caught in a cycle of radicalization at home.Rev. Renaldo C. MckenzieCrestor and Host of The Neoliberal RoundPresident of The Neoliberal CorporationAuthor of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and ResistanceVisit us: https://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.com.Store: https://store.theneoliberal.comDonate to us: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=USSJLFU2HRVAQNote This was first streamed Live on YouTube on The Neoliberal Round YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/live/YKYQMl93Ibo?si=Su2QjR_FiULQCLIC entitled: Charlie Kirk Shooter Became What is Family Hated, Gay..."

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.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 145: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45): Trump self-destructs over the Epstein files: now calls his supporters “weaklings” calls Republicans “stupid” for believing the Epstein story HE sold them, now demands reporters don’t cover it, and demands MAGA stops talking about it. And now - most meaningfully - HE is connecting his Epstein Cover-up to his Russia Collusion Cover-up and continually tying Epstein to "The Steele Dossier." And what was the most grotesque part of the Steele Dossier story? Sexual perversion. Video. Blackmail. Trump is himself tying himself and Epstein to the purported pee tape! And that nauseating link and amazing implications (which he alone is making) are on top of the established reality: Donald Trump is president of the Jeffrey Epstein cover-up.Trump is RUNNING the Jeffrey Epstein cover-up. It’s TRUMP’S Jeffrey Epstein cover-up! President Pervert. President Epstein. President Pee Tape. President Pedophile. President cover-up. "TRUMP’S EPSTEIN COVER-UP" - I want to hear that every day, from a leading Democrat. Every day and SIX TIMES on Sunday. Forever. I’m delighted Trump is destroying himself; I want Democrats to finish the job. I want it to destroy MAGA. I want it to bury them all, under a mountain of their own amoral, uncaring, "bullshit" – the word Trump just used in an enraged screed against his own MAGA "weaklings" whose support he now claims he no longer wants. Is pursuing this Shapiro-Steele story disgusting? Yes. Is it sleazy? Yes. Is it what the Trumpist scum would do? Yes. Is it a terrible way to prevent dictatorship and terror? What? There are RULES here? No, there are no rules. Pick up the damn tire iron. This is democracy-saving gold. Every. Damn. Day. Trump's the one who did this. He's the one who has now linked whatever he's choosing to do in covering up the Epstein story, to whatever there was in the Steele Dossier that would destroy him. He's the one who... crossed the streams. B-Block (32:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Homeland Security Spokesman Micah Bock with a cleverly phrased bit of dishonesty which actually says Texans calling FEMA during the floods had the same chance of getting through as people buying tickets have of winning the lottery. Mehmet Oz, whose senate bid crashed over crudités, now sees his Medicare disembowlin rationalization not cut it over carrot cake, and what trophies did soccer mogul Gianna Infantino let Trump walk away with this time? C-Block (42:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: Twenty years, almost to the day, since I quit smoking and began my MSNBC campaign to get others to quit, too. Which the PRESIDENT of MSNBC naturally responded to...by trying to kill me.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***PLEASE LISTEN TO THE END***In this special episode of the podcast we here a personal update from our guest today Ericka Verba on the ongoing establishment of Trumpist fascism in LA, his use of ICE and the climate of fear.Join us as we welcome Ericka Verba, Director and Professor of Latin American Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, to delve into her landmark biography Thanks to Life: A Biography of Violeta Parra. Drawing on decades of scholarship, personal encounters, and the cultural currents of the Cold War, Verba brings to light the life, art, and enduring legacy of Chile's most revolutionary folk icon.In this episode, we explore:A Life in Song and Vision How Parra's self-taught artistry—from her seminal “Gracias a la vida” to her pioneering visual exhibitions at the Louvre—reshaped Latin American culture and protest music.Roots of Radicalism Verba's own political awakening through early friendships with Chilean musicians, and how her firsthand experience performing Parra's repertoire informs her deep archival research.The Cultural Cold War The role of folk music in social movements on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and how Parra navigated—and challenged—the geopolitical battles of the 1950s and '60s.Gender, Class, and Creativity An examination of the gendered and classed dynamics that shaped Parra's career—and the broader struggles of women artists in twentieth-century Latin America.Unearthed Discoveries The grants, fieldwork, and archival excavations (from NEH to Fulbright to local cultural affairs) that helped Verba uncover new facets of Parra's story—including never-before-published letters and performance documents.Legacy and Influence How Parra's work inspired generations—from the Nueva Canción movement to contemporary artists like Mercedes Sosa and Joan Baez—and what her message of “life and gratitude” means today.Whether you're passionate about musical history, Latin American studies, or the intersections of art and politics, this conversation with Ericka Verba illuminates the remarkable life of a woman whose songs became the soundtrack of resistance. Tune in for a richly textured journey through archives, concert halls, and the heart of cultural revolution.*****STOP PRESS*****I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes, that of aspirant fantasy author and if that's your thing you can get a copy of my debut novel The Blood of Tharta, right here:Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the key to freedom a life without Amazon? This week, Ross talks to Lina Khan, former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission about how unchecked corporate power has limited choice in our day-to-day lives, and how her fight against Big Tech unites left and right.02:41 - What's wrong with big business?09:27 - The political costs of corporate consolidation11:39 - How the 2008 financial crisis shaped Lina Khan's philosophy17:49 - The antitrust consensus from Reagan to Obama21:54 - How the left and right align against big business 26:12 - Khan's wins and losses at the FTC 36:53 - Is the Trump administration embracing or rejecting Khan's vision?42:32 - Is anti-monopoly policy the solution to our economic problems?48:38 - Can Big Tech be broken up?(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Today Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci talk about Linda McMahon's push for diversity of thought in higher education. What does she mean by that? Well, apparently it has to do with reeducation camps that would make the Viet Cong blush. Look, we all appreciate being able to express our views in a educational setting, that's part of learning, but what Trumpism wants is not a free and open exchange of ideas. Trumpists want a cultural revolution, but this time they want to be the ones calling the shots. Long story short; what does Trump want? It's like DEI, but for Republicans. BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Today Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci talk about Linda McMahon's push for diversity of thought in higher education. What does she mean by that? Well, apparently it has to do with reeducation camps that would make the Viet Cong blush. Look, we all appreciate being able to express our views in a educational setting, that's part of learning, but what Trumpism wants is not a free and open exchange of ideas. Trumpists want a cultural revolution, but this time they want to be the ones calling the shots. Long story short; what does Trump want? It's like DEI, but for Republicans. BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

COUNTDOWN BULLETIN: SEASON 3 EPISODE 137 Attempting to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at her Propaganda Conference in Los Angeles today about the Trump Junta's illegal usurpation of the California National Guard and its illegal deployment of active military into civilian police enforcement, California Senator Alex Padilla was jumped by a series of Trumpist thugs including uniformed members of the FBI who wrestled him to the ground, threatened him, and handcuffed him. This is simply the latest in a string of domestic terrorist events perpetrated by Trump's government since the beginning of the ICE raids rounding up migrants, naturalized citizens, and native-born Americans alike, last Friday. It precipitated minor protests and violence slightly below the level of that seen after the Los Angeles Lakers' basketball team won its last championship in 2020. The manhandling of Padilla may have not been the most ominous development Thursday in our march towards dictatorship. Pressed at a congressional hearing about the pending case asking a judge to restrain Trump from usurping control of the California National Guard from Governor Newsom, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth refused to confirm he would abide by any ruling from the court with which he would not agree. He is attempting to cloak the insertion of active military into civilian police enforcement, and the overriding of the courts, in some fantasy that he and Trump are enacting "foreign policy" by terrorizing Southern California. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Ost, professor of politics and Hobart and William Smith, joins Suzi to unpack Poland's June 1 presidential election. The race was tight, but in the end, Karol Nawrocki, the far-right, hardline nationalist with MAGA-style politics and Trump's backing, narrowly defeated Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. After voters rejected Trumpist candidates in recent elections in Canada, Australia and Romania, Polish voters went the other way, swinging back to the hard right just two years after electing liberal leader Donald Tusk. What does this election reveal about the continuing attraction of the authoritarian and nationalist right to working class voters? Ost argues that Tusk in power promised a program of radical changes, but delivered too little, dampening enthusiasm and turnout, echoing the troubles of Biden and Harris in the US. There was also the liberal-left campaign which focused on Nawrocki's negative personal qualities, including criticism of his tough working class background, rather than his reactionary, xenophobic, chauvinist agenda — missteps that fed class resentment and fueled the far right. Populism has shown to have staying power, and center-left governance has failed to offer a durable counter. Is Poland a warning to liberal democrats everywhere? What are the implications for Ukraine, Europe and the globe? Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, travels to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore in the hope of selling a European alternative to Trumpist tariffs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trumpist right has a very clear picture of what they imagine masculinity to be, and are quite upset that it's not a picture all men find all that appealing. It's one of violence, belligerence, and professions of heavy labor. Anything else, including the whole of the knowledge economy that has made the developed world rich, is inauthentically masculine, the result of corrupting feminization.As someone who earns his living communicating ideas, and is pretty happy doing so, I find their argument unpersuasive. So too, I find the politics of reaction, exclusion, and domination that accompany that argument quite a bit less desirable than a free and open and liberal society.That's what my guest and I discuss today. Toby Buckle is the host of the Political Philosophy Podcast, an excellent show that explores the intersection of politics and ideas. We talk about what men want, whether the story the right tells has any grounding in reality, the fundamentally adolescent nature of far-right masculinity, and how liberals can better pitch finding meaning in a liberal world.Toby's article about what men want: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/most-men-dont-want-to-be-heroes-and-thats-okay/If you enjoy ReImagining Liberty and want to listen to episodes free of ads and sponsorships, become a supporter. Learn more here: https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/upgrade I also encourage you to check out my companion newsletter, where I write about the kinds of ideas we discuss on this show. You can find it on my website at ⁠⁠www.aaronrosspowell.com⁠⁠. Produced by ⁠Landry Ayres⁠. Podcast art by ⁠Sergio R. M. Duarte⁠. Music by ⁠Kevin MacLeod⁠.Join the ReImagining Liberty community and discuss this episode with your fellow listeners.Support the show and get episodes ad-free.Produced by Landry Ayres. Podcast art by Sergio R. M. Duarte. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 128: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: Trump wants – and his Republican Whore House of Representatives could give him, as early as today, more likely tomorrow – a LAW letting him not only ignore the courts and their injunctions or temporary restraining orders - but immunize himself and his minions from even BEING subject to CONTEMPT CITATIONS. The law, cutting the legs off every judge in this country including all of them on the Supreme Court, is sitting deep in the MAGA multi-trillion dollar budget bill, curled up like a snake ready to attack and poison the judiciary. At Trump’s sole discretion. Any court issuing a T-R-O against Trump or his pack of wolves with titles decimating safety regulations or firing tens of thousands of essential government employees; any court issuing an injunction against Trump kidnapping and renditioning people off the street; any court doing anything Trump doesn’t like could rule whatever IT likes but when it came to the only teeth such orders have – the threat of putting somebody who ignores them, IN jail, FOR contempt, would be GONE. The gist of this is the Trumpists found another loophole, about a cash bond requirement if you seek to enjoin the government. It’s normally set by the judge at Zero Dollars. This bill would make any such Contempt of Court findings or Injunctions set at zero… unenforceable. SO ICE has accelerated the renditions, now dismissing old charges that are currently being ajudicated and seizing the defendants at the courtrooms and putting them on flights to South Sudan or Libya or wherever because, if there's no Contempt of Court, who's going to stop them? ALSO: Kristi Noem having no idea what "Habeas Corpus" is? That was the SMART part. She also doesn't think "suspend" means "enact." Why is Trump investigating Andrew Cuomo? So if he gets elected Mayor of New York they can blackmail him into selling OUT New York. CBS is warned by Senators that its "settlement" with Trump may be a criminal bribe. And the bad news for CNN is, it's become a 24/7 Shopping Channel selling Jake Tapper's crap book. The good news is, they'll be televising George Clooney's live Broadway show about Murrow, "Good Night And Good Luck" so at least there'll be some pretend journalists on the network. B-Block (40:27) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Musk's "Grok" thinks Kristi Noem was talking about the WNBA. The guy Jeopardy fired as host after a week is now running Ben Shapiro's Propaganda Channel. And karma gets Bill Maher back for praising Trump and dissing Larry David: his "uncancellable" podcast studio? Cancelled. C-Block (52:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: The arrival of a piece of the fabric roof ripped off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg last October by Hurricane Milton has inadvertently reminded me why I do this podcast, because it reminded me of the day nearly half a century ago when my dad the architect warned me not to go into an arena with another fabric roof that he (correctly) predicted was about to come off because of bad weather.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The authoritarian right loves to talk about how they're upholding democracy. Trump didn't lose the 2020 election, because if he had, democracy would've been against him. So instead it was stolen from him, his loss a subversion of the democratic process. Now, as a deeply unpopular second-term president, he and his loyalists pretend they are executing the will of the people, instead of horrifying most Americans while circumventing the people's elected legislature.My guest today has written a terrific book, The Reactionary Spirit, about this odd contradiction in contemporary autocratic rhetoric: On the one hand, far-right anti-democratic regimes speak in the language of democracy and popular will. On the other, they are, well, anti-democratic regimes. Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers challenges to democracy in the United States and abroad, right-wing populism, and the world of ideas.If you enjoy ReImagining Liberty and want to listen to episodes free of ads and sponsorships, become a supporter. Learn more here: https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/upgrade I also encourage you to check out my companion newsletter, where I write about the kinds of ideas we discuss on this show. You can find it on my website at ⁠⁠www.aaronrosspowell.com⁠⁠. Produced by ⁠Landry Ayres⁠. Podcast art by ⁠Sergio R. M. Duarte⁠. Music by ⁠Kevin MacLeod⁠.

Hello nerds,After a steady stream of YouTube shorts and weekend content, I finally hopped back on the Nerds for Humanity livestream, and what a storm of absurdity we had to break down. If you're a center-left policy wonk, what follows may not make you feel better about the future of this country, but it'll make you feel like you're not going crazy for being outraged.We covered three stories. Each was a peek through the cracked window of American democracy, filtered through the bizarre prism of the Trumpist revival. From the Qatari jet that smells like a bribe, to a trade "deal" that undoes Trump's own blunder, to a shockingly good policy idea on pharma that no one—including the New York Times—bothered to cover. Let me walk you through each.Story 1: The $400 Million Jet From QatarImagine the headlines if President Biden accepted a half-billion-dollar luxury jet from the Saudi royal family to use as Air Force One. Now imagine if that jet was offered as a "gift" from a foreign government with ties to Hamas, with the only assurance being that it would later be displayed at the Trump Presidential Library. Sound plausible? That's what's on offer from Qatar to Donald Trump."You're going to disobey the order of the Supreme Court, deport people without due process, and accept a $400 million plane from a foreign government? That hurts your brain." — Me, in stunned disbeliefTrump defenders say it's a harmless donation. But even MAGA forums seemed uneasy. Fox News barely covered the story, and when they did, they quickly buried it. The idea that the future Air Force One—a flying command center during national crises—could be a foreign-made gift? That's not just sus. It's a Trojan Horse with wings."Didn't the Trojans give a gift, too?" — My live commentaryThe irony? This is the same base that cries foul about Hunter Biden's art sales and corruption. Yet when Trump auctions face-time dinners via a crypto coin and deregulates crypto enforcement, it's apparently savvy business. When he accepts a potentially compromised aircraft from a regime that also hosts Taliban leaders, it's not treason—it's branding.Story 2: The Uncelebrated Win on Drug PricingCredit where it's due. In a rare moment of policy lucidity, Trump proposed a Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing strategy for pharmaceuticals. The idea? The U.S. shouldn't pay more than other countries for the same drug. If this actually gets done—really done, not just tweeted and forgotten—it would be a substantive victory for Americans crushed by high drug costs."Obama talked about it, Biden tried Medicare negotiation, but Trump just said: screw it, we're not paying more than Canada or the U.K."Surprisingly, no one wanted to talk about it. Not Fox. Not the New York Times. The former, presumably because Trump's win wasn't culture war red meat. The latter? Maybe it doesn't fit the preferred narrative."Poopy stinky. Freaking New York Times had Belichick's girlfriend on the homepage before the pharma deal."When both major media outlets fail to cover a story that affects the lives of tens of millions of Americans, it's not just media bias—it's systemic rot. We'd rather scream about TikTok bans and border clashes than do the hard work of evaluating policy.Story 3: The China Deal That Wasn'tTrump declared a "historic trade win" with China. The truth? He rolled back tariffs he imposed just a month prior. The markets cheered, but not because of a deal—because Trump stopped hurting them. There was no grand negotiation, no concession from China, just a chaotic game of poker where Trump folded and called it a win."This is your guy? The art of the deal? It's like he declared mango Gatorade the best flavor and MAGA was like ‘Oh yeah I've always loved mango.'"What's worse is the White House crowed about this as if it were the new Marshall Plan. It wasn't. It was a Ctrl-Z of his own failed policy."The only people who thought this was a win were Trump and the Fox chyron writers."The Real TakeawayLet me be painfully honest: we're living in an era of selective outrage and performative governance. One side celebrates crimes if it's their guy. The other side buries policy wins if it contradicts their narrative. Both parties play to their base, and media outlets amplify the rage bait because nuance doesn't generate clicks."Flooding the zone isn't just a Bannon tactic. It's a way to make Americans so overwhelmed they stop caring."We should care. Because accepting a luxury plane from a foreign adversary is not normal. Because a policy that could reduce your grandma's insulin cost should be front-page news. And because calling a self-inflicted trade mess a triumph is gaslighting the electorate.Final ThoughtsThree takeaways, nerds:* Yes to the Pharma Deal. If Trump can actually execute on MFN pricing and codify it into law, that would help millions. I'll cheer it. Just don't let it be another Trumpcare or wall that never gets built.* Hell no to the Qatar Jet. That's not a donation. It's a golden leash from a foreign monarchy with interests diametrically opposed to ours. The idea that it could be used as Air Force One is reckless.* Wake up to the media failures. When both Fox and the Times fail in opposite ways, we lose. We have to stop outsourcing our discernment to headline editors.If you got this far, thank you. If you want to support the channel and help offset the cost of livestream software, thumbnail generators, and custom music, consider becoming a YouTube channel member. You'll get a shout-out on every stream and help keep the nerd train rolling.Bye nerds. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nerdsforhumanity.substack.com

Australia's federal election delivered a clear and in many ways stunning victory for the incumbent centre-left Labor government led by PM Anthony Albanese. Coming a week after an even more astonishing victory by the centre-left Liberal Party in Canada, Darren is intensely focused on the extent to which President Trump, and Trumpism, played a meaningful role in Labor's victory, and what this devastation means for the future of conservative politics in Australia. Darren is joined again by good friend and journalist Eliza Harvey, who is Executive Producer of the ABC's Q&A program, to talk things through. Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research and editing this episode by Hannah Nelson and theme music composed by Rory Stenning. Relevant links Daniel Jeffrey, “Gina Rinehart calls for Liberal Party to embrace Trumpist policies, laments election result”, Nine News, 5 May 2025: https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-gina-rinehart-statement/573c7c24-c4a0-4be4-8d99-6c25ffc4b8dc “Outgoing MP Keith Wolahan outlines Liberal Party's urban challenge” (Video), Insiders (ABC News), 4 May 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kUS3m_j4_w Sinners (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_(2025_film) Say nothing (TV series): https://www.disneyplus.com/en-au/browse/entity-ada252dd-714c-4c2c-b15c-f1ed93cdf5b0 Geraldine Brooks, Memorial Days: https://www.hachette.com.au/geraldine-brooks/memorial-days

The Hangover After HarrisIf you're a center-left political junkie, you probably still feel the sting of November 2024. In our recent Nerds for Humanity livestream, I sat down again with my longtime political sparring partner Phil K to make sense of what went wrong—and, maybe more importantly, what comes next.Phil and I have been analyzing the 2024 cycle from start to bitter end: from our fierce debates over Biden's electability to the odd bedfellows MAGA made with Eric Adams. But this conversation felt different. We weren't just talking about polls and primary narratives. We were, in essence, performing a political autopsy on a movement that once inspired hope—and ended up roadblocked by its own legacy.Let's not bury the lead: Joe Biden's decision to run for re-election was a catastrophic misjudgment. And the cascade of events that followed—his late withdrawal, the elevation of Kamala Harris, and her inability to pivot away from the baggage of his administration—set the stage for what Phil aptly described as “just such an insane answer to give.”Harris's campaign felt stuck. “There should be no daylight,” Biden reportedly told her—meaning: no separation, no contrast, no acknowledgment that the economic and immigration struggles of his presidency were weighing her down like an anvil strapped to a lifeboat. Even when offered an opportunity to differentiate herself gently, she flubbed it. “I wouldn't change anything,” she said in an interview—a sound bite that Phil called a turning point. “It was at that point I started to say… I don't know.”Instead of drawing a line in the sand and saying, “Biden handled COVID, I'll handle affordability,” Harris appeared more loyal than strategic. Biden's ask was understandable—after all, no one wants their legacy attacked by their own VP—but it was a misstep. As I put it during the stream: “This is a full-contact sport. We gotta win this thing.”The Opposite of TrumpDespite the mess of 2024, Phil and I are genuinely optimistic about 2028—and that optimism starts with an old favorite: Pete Buttigieg.Yes, Pete. The former Secretary of Transportation, Afghanistan vet, Rhodes Scholar, policy nerd, and unflinchingly authentic presence. To paraphrase Phil, Pete doesn't pretend to be one of the bros—he leans into the nerdiness, and that's what makes him effective.We spent time analyzing a now-viral clip from a three-hour interview Pete did recently. In it, he reframes freedom—not as freedom from government, but freedom through government. The right to clean air, good schools, parental leave, and a safe neighborhood. “That's the life I want everybody to be able to live,” he said with conviction, without raising his voice, and with enough substance behind the sentiment that you know he could explain how each policy would actually work.“He hits on an emotional level without being hysterical. That's why it works,” I said during the stream.Pete has both the governing chops and rhetorical skill to reclaim values like freedom and patriotism for the left. As Phil put it, “Whoever the next president is needs a clear idea of how to make government effective. Pete has that.” And that's not just about management—it's about rebuilding public trust in federal institutions that Trump's administration, especially during his second term, is likely to shred further.The Case for Shapiro (and His Baggage?)Of course, Pete isn't the only contender. Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, also looms large. Phil praised his focus on efficiency, citing Shapiro's record on expediting small business licenses and rebuilding a major bridge in just 12 days.But Shapiro has vulnerabilities. First, his oratory style is a little too Obama-esque—his cadence, his tone. “If I close my eyes,” I joked, “is this the third Obama term?”More seriously, there's the Israel-Gaza situation. Shapiro is Jewish and has made clear statements critical of Netanyahu, calling him “one of the worst leaders of all time.” Yet some perceive him as overly aligned with pro-Israel hardliners. As I put it, “Politics isn't fair. That's why he needs to be clear about his position.” In a post-Gaza Democratic Party increasingly fractured over foreign policy, clarity will matter more than tribal allegiance.Phil made an important point: “Everyone has to do this. Kamala had to prove she wasn't just for Black people. Shapiro might have to do the same with Israel.” It's unfortunate, but real.The Wildcards: Moore, AOC, and Sister Souljah MomentsWest Moore of Maryland and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also came up. Moore brings executive experience, charisma, and battlefield service. AOC brings a movement—and the energy of the party's left flank. But in either case, a potential ticket with Pete would be… electric.Still, I cautioned about triggering MAGA. “A Buttigieg-AOC ticket might be too much—it would feel like their whole world is collapsing.” But then again, maybe that's the point?Both Pete and Shapiro have opportunities for “Sister Souljah moments.” For Pete, that could mean taking a nuanced stance on trans athletes in women's sports—something grounded in compassion but rooted in fairness. For Shapiro, it might mean confronting Israeli settlement expansion head-on.“Pete can say: Let sports leagues figure it out.” Phil proposed during the stream.The point isn't to alienate allies—it's to demonstrate independence, courage, and authenticity. Voters crave that more than ever, especially after a Trump presidency driven by loyalty tests and cult-of-personality rule.Republican Bench: The Vance VariablePhil and I aren't Republican strategists, but from a clinical lens, we dissected what 2028 might look like for the GOP.It's clear: JD Vance is the frontrunner.As Trump's VP, Vance will have the donor network, MAGA credibility, and perhaps Trump's own endorsement. “The whole ballgame is Trump's nod,” Phil said. Unless Vance catastrophically fails during the second Trump term, he's likely to coast to the nomination.There's one wildcard: the economy. If Trump's second term tanks—if unemployment spikes, inflation returns, or there's foreign policy disaster—Vance could be stuck defending a mess. He could become, as I put it, “the Kamala Harris of the Republican Party.”In that case, someone like DeSantis—who kept one MAGA boot on and one off—could reemerge. He's the ultimate hybrid: not fully Trumpist, but not anti-Trump either. Nikki Haley? Probably too “Romney Republican” for today's GOP.The Media Candidate TemptationWhat about non-traditional candidates like Stephen A. Smith?We entertained the idea for a moment—he's charismatic, direct, and commands an audience. But we both agreed: “Government is hard. It's not a cable news segment.” Voters may not want another president learning on the job, especially after the chaos of Trump 2.0.Still, Smith—or someone like him—could play the role of kingmaker. A nod from a beloved media figure could swing perception in a crowded Democratic primary, especially for someone like Pete who's trying to cut through noise with substance.Final PredictionsLooking ahead to the 2026 midterms, Phil and I share the view that Democrats are likely to retake the House, maybe even comfortably. But the Senate? That's trickier. The map is brutal. We might hold at 50 or 51 seats—if we're lucky.But none of that matters if our institutions continue to erode.The Supreme Court is being ignored. Congress is fragmented. Trump is experimenting with post-constitutional governance. “If you have a situation where the president says, ‘I don't care what the court says,' and Congress won't check him… we're in serious trouble,” Phil warned.And he's right.Reclaiming the NarrativeIf there's one recurring theme from our conversation, it's this: Democrats cannot run on technocracy and process. We must speak in values.Freedom. Family. Opportunity. Patriotism.Pete Buttigieg gets this. He doesn't yell. He doesn't dodge. He meets voters where they are and explains how clean water and strong parental leave are acts of patriotic governance.“We don't need to seed values like freedom to the right,” Phil emphasized. “We can redefine them in ways that resonate.”That's the real battle for 2028—not just blue vs. red, but which version of America we want to fight for.If you found this post thoughtful, please support Nerds for Humanity by becoming a YouTube channel member. Your membership helps cover the operating costs—like the streaming service (which ain't cheap)—and gives you a shout-out on every livestream.We're building something real here. Honest conversations. Hard questions. No fluff.Let's keep it going.Bye nerds. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nerdsforhumanity.substack.com

As we've talked about a fair amount on the show, gender is at the center of the ideological clashes defining our political moment. Trumpism is, at its heart, a misogynistic movement, and the fractious coalition of philosophies within the Trumpist tent all agree that increased freedom and opportunities for women have been very upsetting for right-wing men.My guest today brings gender into dialogue with the structure of the economy has it has manifested in the developed world. And, in doing so, she offers an intriguing challenge to libertarian and radical liberal economic priors. It's one worth engaging with and thinking through.Alysia Ames is a CPA who has spent her career as an accountant in and around government. She lives in Iowa with her husband and two daughters. Her writing can be found on her newsletter, Accounting for Taste. See the link in the show notes. You can also find her on Bluesky as @fakegreekgrill.Discuss this episode with the host and your fellow listeners in the ReImagining Liberty Reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/ReImaginingLiberty/ If you enjoy ReImagining Liberty and want to listen to episodes free of ads and sponsorships, become a supporter. Learn more here: https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/upgrade I also encourage you to check out my companion newsletter, where I write about the kinds of ideas we discuss on this show. You can find it on my website at ⁠⁠www.aaronrosspowell.com⁠⁠. Produced by ⁠Landry Ayres⁠. Podcast art by ⁠Sergio R. M. Duarte⁠. Music by ⁠Kevin MacLeod⁠.

The hypocrisy of Trumpists cheerleading the president's assaults on free speech makes it clear that they have no idea why free speech ever came to be valued in our society in the first place. Reading by Tim Foley.

Preview of Part 2 in which we talk more with Jarrod and Zhana about the pitfalls of performatively moving on from identity politics, the Bukele-prison model of the fascist future, the historical anti-revolutionary basis of the 1798 Enemy Aliens Act, how a union protection racket in Chavez's Venezuela became the gang Trumpists believed were poised to takeover major metro regions of the United States, and why we should've been siding with the "woke left" all along.To listen to the episode and all our bonus content support the show at http://patreon.com/theantifada

SEASON 3 EPISODE 101: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: Trump fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and replaced him with a junior officer he brought back from retirement whom HE claims once wore a MAGA cap in his presence. Then he fired the Judge Advocate of the army, the Judge Advocate of the Navy, and the Judge Advocate of the Air Force. What you have been told by news organizations – even ones that still have good reporters – that this is part of the Trump Racism Orgy. The fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Charles Q. Brown is black. The Chief of Naval Operations was a woman. Their identities are cover stories and red meat for the Trump cult. Trump looked at the top lawyers at the Army, Navy and Air Force, the ones who would tell him, no, you can’t have the Army shoot civilians, and you can’t have the Navy blockade Vancouver and Greenland and the Panama Canal, and you can’t bomb the next Democratic convention… and he fired them. At least six different reporters and commentators on the military beat said the same thing. Firing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is bad and a red flag. Firing the T-JAGS, the Judge Advocates, the lawyers who tell you when something you are going to do with the military is illegal… can mean only one thing… you are planning to do something with the military that is illegal. You fire the people who would SAY it’s illegal and replace them with people who would say it ISN’T illegal. There are degrees of nightmare ahead. They all amount to different versions of Trump's plot to permanently take over the government by using the military. B-Block (26:20) THE FIRING OF JOY REID: Yes, firing her is racist and maybe worse yes it is designed to keep out people who might think differently and it is designed to reward professional political salespeople like party chairmen and press secretaries. But most of all, since they also fired Alex Wagner, it means that four women of color have solo hosted prominent shows ON MSNBC and all four of them have now been fired. C-Block (58:00) SPORTSBALL CENTRAL: I could not have been more wrong about hockey's Four Nations Faceoff. But at least I wasn't as wrong as Wayne Gretzky, now under deserved attack in Canada as a remorseless Trumpist, and rapidly becoming The Man Without A Country. (1:11:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Senator Thom Tillis begins to suck up to Trump. Jared Polis, "Democratic" governor of Colorado, should resign. So too should Phil Murphy, "Democratic" governor of New Jersey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric and Eliot try to parse the fire hose of news emanating from the Trump Administration. They discuss Eliot's Atlantic article on the American antecedents and causes of Trump's ascendancy and whether there is still some point in looking at the European autocrats like Viktor Orban on whom some Trumpists model themselves, as well as Ruy Texeira's article in the Free Press arguing that defending USAID is not the hill to die on for Democrats. They also discuss Richard Danzig's Washington Post article on how Elon Musk's DOGE might constructively help reform DoD's broken and dysfunctional acquisition process. They discuss the problems with Trump's Gaza proposal as well as the fact that it highlights how all other approaches to the issue of Gaza's relations with Israel have heretofore failed. They discuss Trump's executive order on Iran as well as General Keith Kellogg's preparations for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and Trump's offer to resettle White Afrikaaners who have been disadvantaged by majority rule in South Africa. Eliot's Latest in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/trump-historical-analogies/681561/ Ruy Texeira on USAID https://www.thefp.com/p/defending-usaid-is-political-suicide Richard Danzig on Pentagon Reform https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/06/doge-pentagon-tech-innovation/ Bret Stephens & Gail Collins on Trump's Second Term So Far https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/opinion/trump-musk-cabinet-education.html Steven Levitsky on The New Authoritarianism https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/trump-competitive-authoritarian/681609/ Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 90: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: To repeat myself - because I’m RIGHT - File motions to impeach Trump NOW. Move to impeach Trump today, AND KEEP MOVING to impeach Trump every day through next year’s midterms. Impeachment is UNDEFEATED. UNDEFEATED in American history. House Democrats: he handed you TWELVE, maybe FIFTEEN new counts on Friday night alone. Blatantly, brazenly illegal dismissals of Departmental Inspector Generals, just as Project 2025 promised, and the School Safety Board. Elimination of oversight. Elimination of legal protections against the mass murder of children. In the old days you might’ve arrested Trump. Now you are limited to impeachment bills that will all fail EXCEPT THEY WILL ULTIMATELY SUCCEED. Impeach him for the Friday Night massacre. Impeach him for circumventing the 14th Amendment. He just ramped up the migrant arrest quota to 1500 a day and started raids in Chicago yesterday: Impeach him for violating the 4th Amendment. And if I hear one more piece of blowback to my PREVIOUS call to impeach him no matter the outcome, one more head-shake from a cowardly Democrat, and especially one more factually inaccurate claim that it doesn’t work, one more self-absorbed loser saying ‘Impeach? Yeah, sounds good. How did it work out for us last time? Pretty effing well, actually. The mere TALK of impeaching Trump helped the Democrats win the House in 2018 and break Trump tri-partite control of government. The FIRST impeachment was followed by keeping the house in 2020 and after the Georgia election, taking the senate in 2020, and oh by the way the White House in 2020. The SECOND impeachment crushed any lingering attempt by Trump to overthrow the Biden Government-In-Waiting in 2021 and provided the impetus for the January 6th prosecutions. In fact, since Nixon, every party that impeached or TRIED to impeach a president won the next elections. House, Senate, White House. Thirteen straight. IMPEACHMENT – EVEN FAILED IMPEACHMENT - IS UNDEFEATED. ALSO: The Media capitulation continues. Acosta's show cancelled by the latest CNN job who hasn't been able to keep a job since 2000. And how did appeasing Trump work out for you ABC, CBS, and NBC? Trump's FCC reinstated license challenges against your stations, Trump wants Maddow jailed, and at Disney: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith just made a Trumpist idiot out of himself. B-Block (35:12) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Trump has too many Bennies to keep them all straight: can't remember the Chairman of the January 6th Committee he wants to jail. Even the NFL is sucking up to Elon "It Only LOOKED Like A Nazi Salute" Trump. And the first baseball player since like 1877 to get the mouth sores and skin rashes of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease just endorsed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. C-Block (46:25) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: You know what it's like in this country right now? It's like we all just woke up from the anesthesia in the MIDDLE of a medical procedure. You know how I know this? Because I'm one of those people who actually DID wake up in the middle of a medical procedure - and I'm having the same procedure TOMORROW.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is This Democracy is back! And what a time to be discussing the conflict over how much democracy, and for whom, there should be in America. We reflect on the Inauguration and the first 72 hours of the Trump regime: What stood out from the transfer of power on Monday and Trump's speech(es)? Most importantly: What have we learned from the onslaught of presidential executive orders and proclamations? We try to establish a framework for how to think about what is happening around us: This is not merely a presidential transition, but an attempted regime change. The Trumpists want to change the rules of how the system works and how power is being wielded; they seek to roll back the post-1960s civil rights order; and they aggressively set out to redefine the boundaries of who gets to belong in America, who has a right to be part of the polity. This is an inflection point - a test for the Constitution, the courts, the system. In the regime's early initiatives, MAGA has, once again, revealed its true face: An ideologically driven project seeking to roll back much of the racial and social progress of (at least) the past century. Follow Lily Follow Thomas Follow the podcast on social media Read Thomas' weekly newsletter Democracy Americana

SEASON 3 EPISODE 75: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN Special Edition (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: Some time over Thanksgiving in Nantucket the light bulb went off over Joe Biden's head and he finally realized that no, the norms and traditions and institutions to which he and most of the rest of us have dedicated our lives did NOT miraculously re-grow, did NOT suddenly spring, fully restored and intact, from the ground. He saw that not only was his son about to go to prison because of his own foolish decision to not interfere with an enfeebled Department of Justice, and because of the dictator it let get away, who would now aim his DOJ at Hunter Biden - and Joe Biden - and anybody else - for personal revenge. The President figured this out and pulled his son out of harm's way. And much of he left attacked him for it. They are Morons. I don't care about Hunter Biden, particularly. I care about the fact that we are 48 days away from a nascent military dictatorship taking over this government, supported by an unknown percentage of the population that wants to see Hunter and Joe Biden hanging from construction cranes parading through the streets, and wants to see Trump in power for life. A We JUST got one more guy out of their sights and we JUST shoved one more plotline up Trump, and up Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller and whichever other lunatics Trump wants to take over the asylum. And countless liberals – and anti-Trumpers – think this will actually provide cover for Trump pardoning the January 6thinsurrectionists because apparently for the last ten years they have been hallucinating and thinking Trump has ever bothered to seek cover for anything. Or they think we should be "better" than them. The Trumpists are planning to put us in camps. I don't care if we are better than them or worse than them or monstrous to them. If somebody's going to go to camps, it ain't going to be us, it's got to be them. End of debate. In addition to explaining why this was not just the right decision but should be a template of thousands of further pardons, permit me to excoriate a bunch of the clowns who cannot see the forest for the trees. Or the fact that the forest is on fire. And then for giggles we have the moronic comments of Nate Silver and Dinesh D'Souza, complaining about pardons when he himself got an undeserved pardon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph welcomes Vani Hari, also known as “The Food Babe,” to tell us about her campaign against Kellogg's to stop using artificial dyes in their cereals that have been linked to various health problems and have been banned in Europe. Plus, noted labor organizer, Chris Townsend gives us his take on the AFL-CIOs obeisant relationship to the Democratic Party.Vani Hari is an author and food activist. A former corporate consultant, she started the Food Babe blog in 2011, and she is the co-founder of the nutritional supplement startup Truvani.It is a game of whack-a-mole because we get these corporations to change, or they announce that they're going to change, and then they go back on their commitment. And that is what's happened with Kellogg's.Vani HariChris Townsend is a 45-year union member and leader. He was most recently the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International Union Organizing Director. Previously he was an International Representative and Political Action Director for the United Electrical Workers Union (UE), and he has held local positions in both the SEIU and UFCW.These workers who have been betrayed, lied to, wrecked, destroyed, poisoned, all of these things—this becomes the breeding ground for Trumpist ideology. And the Democrats won't face this.Chris TownsendOur media largely ignores the labor movement. Our small labor press—left press—generally subscribes to the “good news only” school of journalism. So these endemic problems and even immediate crises are never dealt with. Now, some of that is because the existing labor leadership generally is not fond of criticism or is not fond of anyone pointing out shortcomings (or) mistakes.Chris TownsendWe're a cash cow—and a vote cow— to be milked routinely and extensively by this Democratic machinery… The leadership today in the bulk of the unions is an administrative layer, business union through and through to the core. The historic trade union spirit that always animated the unions in various levels is not extinguished, but in my 45 years, I would say it is at a low ebb. In the sense that we just have been sterilized because of this unconditional and unholy alliance or domination by the Democratic Party. And there's no room for spark. There's no room for dissent. There's no room for anyone to even raise the obvious.Chris Townsend[Leaders of the AFL-CIO are] basically bureaucrats in that building on 16th Street, collecting their pay and their nice pensions. Completely out of touch with millions of blue collar workers that have veered into the Republican Party channels—the so-called Reagan Democrats, which have spelled the difference in election after election for the Senate, for the House, for the Presidency.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 11/20/241. In his new book Hope Never Disappoints, Pope Francis writes “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide,” and called for the situation to be “studied carefully…by jurists and international organisations,” per the Middle East Eye. These comments come on the heels of a United Nations committee report which found that Israel's actions are “consistent with characteristics of genocide,” and alleged that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. The Catholic pontiff has long decried violence in all forms and has previously criticized Israel's “disproportionate and immoral” actions in Gaza and Lebanon, per AP.2. On November 14th, the AP's Farnoush Amiri reported that more than 80 Congressional Democrats sent a letter to President Biden on October 29th, urging the administration to sanction Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Only made public after the election, this letter called for sanctions on these individuals “Given their critical roles in driving policies that promote settler violence, weaken the Palestinian Authority, facilitate de facto and de jure annexation, and destabilize the West Bank.” This letter was principally authored by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and in addition to dozens of House Democratic signatories, was signed by no less than 17 Senators.3. Another remarkable post-election Israel story concerns outgoing Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who was ousted from his seat by a flood of AIPAC money. In an interview with Rania Khalek, Bowman relates a remarkable anecdote about the presidential campaign. Bowman says he specifically requested to campaign for Kamala Harris in Michigan – where he was so popular his AIPAC-backed primary challenger disparagingly said “[Bowman's] constituency is Dearborn, Michigan” – but the campaign ignored him and instead deployed surrogates that seemed almost designed to alienate Arab-Americans: Liz Cheney, Ritchie Torres, and Bill Clinton who went out of his way to scold these voters. These voters were likely decisive in Kamala Harris' loss in that state.4. On November 13th, Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he intends to bring Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to the Senate floor. As Sanders writes in a press release, the “The JRD is the only mechanism available to Congress to prevent an arms sale from advancing.” Unlike previous efforts however, Sanders no longer stands alone. According to Reuters, “Two of the resolutions, co-sponsored with…Senators Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch, would block the sale of 120 mm mortar rounds and joint direct attack munitions (JDAMS). A third, sponsored by Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, would block the sale of tank rounds.” Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen have announced their intention to support the JRD. Certain heavy-hitting Democratic-aligned institutions have also bucked precedent to back this effort, including the massive Service Employees International Union and leading Liberal-Zionist group J Street.5. In the House, Republicans and many Democrats are pushing H.R. 9495, a bill which would grant the executive branch the power to unilaterally strip non-profit organizations of their tax-exempt status based on accusations of supporting terrorism. As the Intercept notes, “The law would not require officials to explain the reason for designating a group, nor…provide evidence.” The ACLU and over 150 other “civil liberties, religious, reproductive health, immigrant rights, human rights, racial justice, LGBTQ+, environmental, and educational organizations,” sent a letter opposing this bill in September, and celebrated when the bill was blocked on November 12th – but it is back from the grave, with Nonprofit Quarterly reporting the bill has cleared a new procedural hurdle and will now advance to the floor. Yet even if this bill is successfully blocked, little stands in the way of Republicans reviving it in the next Congress, where they will hold the House, Senate, and the Presidency.6. Back in October, we covered Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's letter to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen expressing grave concern over the company's decision to roll out facial recognition-based price gouging technology. According to Tlaib, Kroger has stonewalled Congress, so she is leading a group of House Democrats in a new letter demanding answers to the critical questions that remain, such as whether Kroger will use facial recognition to display targeted ads, whether consumers can opt out, and whether the company plans to sell data collected in stores. This letter is co-signed by progressives like AOC, Barbara Lee, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, among others.7. In new labor news, the NLRB has issued a rule banning anti-union “captive audience meetings,” per the Washington Post. This report notes that these meetings, in which employers warn workers of the risks in unionizing, are considered highly effective and are commonly used by companies like Amazon, Starbucks, Apple and Trader Joe's. According to the Post, Amazon alone spent more than $17 million on consults to do exactly this between 2022 and 2023. On the other hand, Bloomberg Law reports a federal judge in Texas has blocked a Labor Department rule that would have expanded overtime eligibility to four million mostly lower-level white collar workers. This was seen as among the Biden Administration's key achievements on labor rights and foreshadows the rollback of worker protections we are likely to see in a Trump presidency redux.8. Donald Trump has signaled that he will nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy will likely face a difficult confirmation process; his past environmental activism is anathema to Republican Senators, while his more recent vaccine-skepticism is unpopular among Democrats. Yet just as Donald Trump emerged as an improbable RFK ally, a surprising opponent has emerged as well: former Vice-President Mike Pence. In a “rare” statement Pence writes “For the majority of his career, RFK Jr. has defended abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy, supports overturning the Dobbs decision and has called for legislation to codify Roe v Wade. If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history…I…urge Senate Republicans to reject this nomination.” As with other unpopular Trump nominees, many expect RFK to be appointed on an acting basis and then possibly installed via the recess appointment process.9. In some positive news, Drop Site reports that in Sri Lanka, the Leftist president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who wrested the office from the corrupt clique that has ruled the nation since independence has won a resounding victory in the recent parliamentary elections. Reuters reports that Dissanayake's coalition won a “sweeping mandate,” with enough seats to pass his anti-corruption and poverty-alleviation agenda. More shocking is the fact that Dissanayake's coalition ran up the score in the Tamil-dominated north and east of the country. As Drop Site notes, only 15 years ago the Sri Lankan government crushed the Tamil Tigers and carried out large-scale massacres of the Tamil minority. Dissanayake has vowed to end the occupation and release Tamil political prisoners, as well as take on the International Monetary Fund which is seeking to impose economic control on the country in exchange for a fiscal bailout. Neither goal will be easily achieved, but the size of Dissanayake's victory at least provides the opportunity for him to try.10. Finally, AP reports that three of Malcolm X's daughters have filed a $100 million lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, and NYPD. This lawsuit alleges that these agencies were “aware of and…involved in the assassination plot,” and that law enforcement was engaged in a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional [relationship with]…ruthless killers that…was actively concealed, condoned, protected, and facilitated by government agents.” Two of Malcolm X's alleged assassins were exonerated in 2021 after an extensive re-investigation found that authorities withheld crucial evidence, per AP, and new evidence reported earlier this year by Democracy Now! supports the theory of an assassination plot involving collusion between the FBI and NYPD, if not others.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

SERIES 3 EPISODE 64: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: Yeah, I heard it too. I heard him he "shouldn't have left" the White House when his term ended. And I heard him say AT his rally that he wouldn't mind people shooting at the reporters COVERING his rally. And I guess it's shocking. Except he's been saying these things (a little more coded) since 2015, and he said the shooting thing about Liz Cheney last Thursday night. And after all he is going through what the shrinks call “disinhibition” AT the rallies where he loses all sense of what he should say in private not public. But that's not what got me. I heard something I have never heard before. WHEN he said he wouldn't mind people shooting the "fake news," he said he wouldn't mind them shooting THROUGH "the fake news" - THROUGH it - AT him. Doesn't that sound kind of… what's the word? Suicidal? Plus: I understand that we are inside the 48 hour bubble before the election and the pressure is like 887 Atmospheric Units and our rage against this creature and his cult that wants to burn this country to the ground – burn this world to the ground – and our amazement that there is ANYBODY voting for him – that RAGE is at unbearable levels – but… didn't he sound kinda dead yesterday? At one point he was inaudible. At another, in North Carolina, he thought he was in Pennsylvania. Throughout, he sounded exactly like Hal the Computer in the movie “2001” when they unplugged him. PRACTICALLY SPEAKING on the eve of the election, the polls continue to support a Harris victory (size TBD) and this shocking poll where she's up by 3 in Iowa hides an even more shocking number (she's ahead by 20 among women in the whitest part of the midwest). And the reaction to the pollster who published this 21 point swing from June tells you all you need to know about polling. They have previously insisted Ann Selser was an immortal. Now they're saying she's making the rest of them look bad by not tailoring her poll to fit their narrative. B-Block (30:33) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: A Trumpist has vowed to "castrate himself on camera" if Harris wins Iowa (if you're a Trumpist, haven't you already castrated yourself?). Chris Cillizza 2024 mocks everybody who didn't buy the conventional wisdom about the vice presidency (evidently including Chris Cillizza 2020, who had disproved it), and courtesy Tim Alberta in The Atlantic, we find a new reason to hate Trump. This is the real reason he's so mad Biden dropped out. Trump thought he had the perfect nickname for the President - and it's appalling. C-Block (37:48) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: I call it The Annual Day I Get Trapped Inside My Home Day. You know it - and may have seen it on TV yesterday - as "The New York City Marathon."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.