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I interviewed Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer, to discuss his recent column about the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the importance of that case to everyone in the United States. Why Kilmar Abrego Garcia is the Jenga piece that could topple the American Experiment
SEASON 3 EPISODE 116: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: I want polling on a special, emergency, extra-constitutional Presidential Recall Vote. I know there isn't going to BE a Presidential Recall Vote. I know we're not going extra-constitutional, we're not REPUBLICANS dammit. But they are always making up laws (inside the Supreme Court and outside of it) on the premise that the people really want it, so after this week of unprecedented insane unnecessary failure on the part of Trump and his Team of Imbecilic Rivals, I want to know where we stand. Because the moment we get 10 Republicans in the House and 14 in the Senate to believe that if Trump stays in office, their careers are over, he's gone. Half of them think he's nuts already and a quarter have had doubts. They need to be pushed and I don't want to wait until the mid-terms for them to get the damned message I want SOME pollster - independent, news-related, hired by the Democrats, SOMEBODY - to ask these questions: 1) if the election were re-run today would you vote for Trump or a Democrat. Or another Republican. Or a fairly intelligent farm animal. 2) would you support a special recall vote to potentially reverse the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. 3) would you describe the current financial panic and the upcoming tsunami of inflation and unemployment as a national emergency. 4) do you think Donald Trump has lost his mind. 5) do you think Donald Trump is mentally fit to run the country. 6) do you think Donald Trump is acting to destroy the United States on behalf of a foreign country. 7) do you think it is necessary to act outside the constitution if necessary to save the United States of America FROM Donald Trump. 8) if the midterm elections for the Senate and the House were tomorrow would you vote Republican or Democratic? WHATEVER the percentages are they could easily scare the crap out of 10 House Republicans and 14 Senate Republicans and the day they do, Trump vanishes. You doubt me? Ask Richard Nixon. Ask Abraham Lincoln, whom they were ready to get rid of seven months before Lee surrendered at Appomattox because they thought he wasn't going to be re-elected. Also is it possible the Democrats are listening to me? Obama emerges to spout sense, as I've asked. The DNC Chair founds "The People's Cabinet." All we need now is POLLING ON A PRESIDENTIAL RECALL VOTE. B-Block (31:28) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: The Pittsburgh Pirates rip a Roberto Clemente memorial off their outfield wall to make room for an ad for seltzer, a Republican influencer insists there are no tariffs on Russia because we don't import anything from Russia (we import $2.5 Billion a year from Russia), and the Secretary of the Treasury wants YOU to buy American while he buys British. (41:28) SPORTSBALLCENTER: Alexander Ovechkin DOES have more goals than Wayne Gretzky now, but no, that's still not the big league hockey record (and Gretzky managed to throw himself out another window during the celebrations) and the date of the first American, maybe the first human, to be photographed giving the finger to the cameraman has to be pushed back from 1886 to 1882 after a discovery this weekend about baseball Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn. C-Block (55:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: I have been asked by a listener to expand on last week's news that Chuck Todd not only does not realize that his news career is over but he thinks investors are going to give him $2,000,000,000 to go buy a news organization now. The answer to the question "Chuck Todd: Why?"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I told you yesterday that Trump help his announcement of his "Liberation Day" Tariff plan to crash the world's economies until 4pm because he didn't want us to see the stock market crashing in real time as he unveiled his nefarious plans. Today, he's off again to Florida for a golf tournament at one of his clubs, while most of the rest of the nation is watching their 401k values plummet. (So now, in 72 days, the orange one has taken off 15 days and spent more than $26 million of taxpayer money at his gold clubs, but I digress...)At the same time we're in shock over the stupidity that's intentionally crashing down around us, we're still feeling energized by Cory Booker and his record-breaking 25 hour+ speech that ended yesterday. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Will Bunch wrote a wonderful column about it today, and he joins us to talk about it on today's show.
Tavis talks to Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch about trending topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 95: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: Now that the Democratic Party and the nation has realized that Musk is at the center of a Trumpian coup to privatize the government, the question becomes: HOW do we arrest Elon and his Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles? The reality of the crises of the tech-bro coup and the putsch to violate the constitution and the multi trillion-dollar attempted heist and Trump’s plan to invade Gaza so he can personally own it has gotten through. Congressman Al Green has confirmed he will make a motion to impeach Trump and remember even failed impeachment bills give the impeaching party a perfect record in the next House, Senate, and Presidential elections. But until we can replace the Supreme Court, Trump is immune. However, Musk is not immune. None of his little minions are immune. Any of the officials at USAid or in the Treasury Department or OMB who admitted these little clowns into secure areas are not immune, in fact they are subject to espionage charges and they will still be subject to them four years from now. There are at least 28 lawsuits in progress against the various tentacles of Musk's cyber-version of Oceans 11 meets The Nigerian Prince who only needs your routing number. One has already stopped the destruction of birthright citizenship in its tracks. And local prosecutions are doable and reasonable. The key to putting Musk away is publicity. What he is doing a story CREATED for local television news and its older, less affluent audience: somebody sent hackers into the government where they, right now, could be stealing your medicare money and social security? It’s EXACTLY what local television producers live for: Here’s Jack Liveshot in Scarsdale with his guest Concerned Grandma. This is low-hanging fruit because everybody hates Elon Musk. EVERYBODY. And body will hate him more than all the little tech-bros after it turns out Musk is NOT omnipotent and to do his dirty work for him, ends with your ass in jail. First one to flip on Musk gets probation and a brand new Hotmail account and AOL installation disk. B-Block (29:24) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Did nobody tell Roger Goodell of the NFL that to suddenly declare yourself anti-"End Racism" is the same thing as saying you are PRO-Racism? The average Conservative who got David-and-Goliath wrong. And Rahm Emanuel is destroyed online by my pal Will Bunch with one of the most efficient burns I've ever seen. C-Block (38:40) THINGS I PROMISE NOT TO TELL: I was quoted by the Washington Post complimenting Maddow and reportedly she's pissed (that they put me in her story). Coincidentally, this is more or less the anniversary that I bypassed my bosses and hired her at MSNBC out of my own pocket. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Michigan Minds, Pamela Herd, social policy professor at the University of Michigan, discusses issues of healthcare access and affordability in light of the slaying of an industry CEO, efforts of a university lab in boosting access and breaking down walls to social safety net programs, and finding common ground within a polarized electorate.Here's an excerpt of the conversation:The killing of a healthcare CEO on a Manhattan sidewalk has become, in the words of Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch, "a stunning moment of clarity about the state of American society." I'd like to ask you what Will asked his readers: Why did it take an assassination to raise an issue that was ignored in a presidential campaign?So let me preface this by saying that vigilante justice, which is one way to think about what happened, is never OK. The killing, the murder, assassination of the United Healthcare executive was not OK.That said, people's reactions to it and the kind of depth of the anger that we heard from people in response is I think a pretty strong signal that something is fundamentally broken in how we deliver healthcare in the United States. And that's what it really tapped into: People are incredibly frustrated in the U.S. healthcare system. We spend enormous amounts of money paying for healthcare, both individually out of pocket as well as aggregately in terms of the federal and state budgets. And people just feel like they're not getting their money's worth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**Program Note*** I had major YouTube issues today, so I finally cut the video and just continued audio only for most of the show. You'll be able to get the full audio podcast on my website at https://nicolesandler.com/11-20-24 or subscribe to the podcast on Spotify (no paywall, though your donations and support are what keep me on the air)... Sorry for the inconvenience. NS I'm not too keen on the corporate media these days. With a few shining examples to the contrary, most of the media learned nothing from our recent history of presidential election coverage other than how to get even worse at it. I suggested yesterday while talking with Digby that it's time to put together an approved journalist/pundit list of those who can and should be trusted. (It's on my ever growing list of projects on which to embark).Certainly to be included in any such list would be Will Bunch. He's a national columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. As my friend Laffy says, "If Will Bunch wrote it, you should read it." (The Inquirer does have a paywall, but if you subscribe to Will's newsletter, you can read those for free. https://www.inquirer.com/newsletters/will-bunch/sign-up/ And they have a 6 month subscription deal for $1 right now... But we'll begin with some gratitude at a time when it's truly important to be grateful for so very much...
Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump picks loyalists for his cabinet. Also, social media and podcasts have siloed how Americans consume news. Plus, The New York Times reports the Russian government is targeting “child-free lifestyles.” The Onion wins the auction to take control of Alex Jones' Infowars assets. And Democrats make history in the House despite losing control. Timothy Snyder, Will Bunch, Tom Nichols, Gary Shteyngart, Christopher Mattei, Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison, and Rep.-elect Janelle Bynum join Ali Velshi.
This week, after Donald Trump won the election, Jeff Bezos issued an extraordinary tweet: He didn't just congratulate Trump; he also bent over backwards to hail his extraordinary political comeback. We think this is a bad sign of what's coming: People in key institutional positions going out of their way to curry favor with Trump in advance. How bad will this get? We talked to Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch, author of a good column about Bezos's bended knee to Trump. Bunch explains what all this portends about the surrender of key institutions in the face of Trump's coming strongman rule—and what we can do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, after Donald Trump won the election, Jeff Bezos issued an extraordinary tweet: He didn't just congratulate Trump; he also bent over backwards to hail his extraordinary political comeback. We think this is a bad sign of what's coming: People in key institutional positions going out of their way to curry favor with Trump in advance. How bad will this get? We talked to Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch, author of a good column about Bezos's bended knee to Trump. Bunch explains what all this portends about the surrender of key institutions in the face of Trump's coming strongman rule—and what we can do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, after Donald Trump won the election, Jeff Bezos issued an extraordinary tweet: He didn't just congratulate Trump; he also bent over backwards to hail his extraordinary political comeback. We think this is a bad sign of what's coming: People in key institutional positions going out of their way to curry favor with Trump in advance. How bad will this get? We talked to Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch, author of a good column about Bezos's bended knee to Trump. Bunch explains what all this portends about the surrender of key institutions in the face of Trump's coming strongman rule—and what we can do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Both the Democratic and Republican conventions are in the rear view mirror, and we made it through Labor Day, so we're now officially in the home stretch of the 2024 presidential election cycle. In two months and two days Nov 5 arrives, whether or not we're ready. Today, we'll take a look at some of the news made over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Then we'll speak with Will Bunch who attended and covered both conventions in his column at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the media's horse race approach to the campaigns, and the shit the media is allowing the Trump campaign to get away with.... This is going to be a long couple of months ahead!
So on today's See How They're Run, we're talking all things Pennsylvania. Where does the race stand there? What are the currents that could shift voters in one direction or another?To discuss all of this, host D.D. Guttenplan is joined by two of the sharpest Pennsylvanians around: Will Bunch, longtime opinion columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Carrie Santoro, executive director of progressive advocacy group Pennsylvania Stands UpAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Also welcome back to the fight as, at long last, Democrats are "floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee." Are we finally back to the days of "Give 'em Hell, Harry"? We hope so! And the Donald Trump campaign has at least three "vendors" taking millions and no one knows what's being done with the money. (We can guess, though). More at proleftpod.com.Links for this episode: The Educated Imagination from 2010: What's wrong with the New York Times Part 3? https://macblog.mcmaster.ca/fryeblog/2010/05/16/whats-wrong-with-the-new-york-times-3-2/Will Bunch: "How the media blew 2024′s election" https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/attytood/media-elections-dnc-kamala-harris-military-20240827.htmlMark Sumner at Daily Kos: “Trump raises less money than Harris—and how he spends it is a mystery.”https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/26/2265800/-Trump-raises-less-money-than-Harris-and-how-he-spends-it-is-a-mysteryMore at proleftpod.com.You can help us pay for DG's eye doctor expenses athttps://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ease-dgs-medical-financial-burdenBlue Gal's knitting podcast! https://www.youtube.com/@flangumOur podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeftSupport the show:PayPal | https://paypal.me/proleftpodcastPatreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpodSupport the Show.
SERIES 2 EPISODE 206: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: “I wasn't very smart. I decided to travel around the world shortly before the debate,” the President has now said at a fundraiser in Virginia. He then described his arduous travel through 15 Time Zone changes for the G7 and D-Day, and how it affected him at the debate: “I didn't listen to my staff and then I came home and nearly fell asleep on stage.” The debate was June 27. He returned from his travels on June SIXTEENTH. This followed by only a few hours a suggestion from Nancy Pelosi that Biden (and Trump) takes an acuity test: "Both candidates owe whatever test you want to put them to, in terms of their mental acuity and their health — both of them. I think it's a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition? When people ask that question, it's completely legitimate — of both candidates." Pelosi thinks Biden has an episode? Or a condition? If there were anything Pelosi could have said that would do LESS to contain all of this, I am hard pressed to guess what it could have been. And there are disastrous new internal polling numbers leaked from Democratic pollsters OpenLabs to Puck News. Since the debate, New Hampshire has now become Trump by three, Virginia is Trump by one and a half; that the president now has leads of half a point or less in New Mexico, Maine, and Minnesota; that Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, George, North Carolina and the Nebraska Second are all Trump by four or more and it's seven in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden's support dropped by roughly two percentage points in all twelve of these states and in Colorado and Minnesota. If he cannot recover all of this, the Democrats are looking at a loss of at least 100 electoral votes. The profound moments of American political history – secession, Watergate, Teapot Dome, the retirement of Lyndon Johnson, all the rest – share one commonality. These stories have each taken on a momentum of their own; they have each reached a tipping point when – whether quickly or imperceptibly – the other option began to disappear. The momentum in the Biden Re-Election story changed yesterday. And the tipping point may have been reached. The good news could be that suddenly the only candidate with the age problem, would be Trump. The only candidate with the uncertain grip on reality, would be Trump. The only candidate to be called feeble or gaffe-prone or lost, would be Trump. And if Biden really were convinced to retire from the ticket and the office in order to send Kamala Harris into the campaign with the incumbency, she would be the first woman president of the United States asking the voters to validate her with a full term of office – and doing so when a primary plank of the Democratic campaign is the Republicans' assault on the rights of every woman in this country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SERIES 2 EPISODE 205: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) BULLETIN: I now believe the President is going to stand aside and Kamala Harris will replace him as the nominee, and I think there is as much as a 50-50 chance he will also resign his office before the election. This is NOT based on sourced reporting or inside information but merely an accumulation of new developments during the course of Tuesday, and I take no pleasure in making any of these conclusions, and I haven't even thought long enough about them to be certain if I concur or am opposed to this outcome.But After Nancy Pelosi's comments today about President Biden and how "I think it's a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition? When people ask that question, it's completely legitimate" and how nothing she could have said would do less to tamp down speculation or debate, and especially after today's report of leaked internal swing state Democratic polling, I think - as my friend of half a century Will Bunch put it, "it feels like an energy shift in the force." The polling is described in detail. The bottom line is that in the 72 hours after the debate, Democratic internal pollsters OpenLabs reported that the six swing states had become twelve swing states and Biden had lost about two points in both of them and was now trailing Trump in Michigan and Pennsylvania by seven. It's not sustainable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tonight on The Last Word: NY judge puts Trump “on notice” in a gag order expansion. Also, the Florida Supreme Court allows an abortion measure on the ballot. Plus, Texas Democrats remind voters of Ted Cruz's abortion record. And President Joe Biden plans to visit Baltimore this Friday following the bridge collapse. Joyce Vance, Harry Litman, Dan Alexander, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Daniel Goldman, Rep. Colin Allred, and Will Bunch join Lawrence O'Donnell.
News of Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis arrived after months of speculation regarding the royal's whereabouts. Had the Princess of Wales, who had not been seen in public since Christmas Day, absconded to a faraway hideout? Was trouble at home—an affair, perhaps—keeping her out of the public eye? What truths hid behind the obviously doctored family photograph? #WhereisKateMiddleton trended as the online world offered up a set of elaborate hypotheses increasingly untethered from reality. On this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how a particular brand of “fan fiction” has enveloped the Royal Family, and how, like the #FreeBritney movement, the episode illustrates how conspiracy thinking has become a regular facet of online life. The hosts discuss “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” an essay by the historian Richard Hofstadter, from 1964, that traces conspiratorial thought across history, as well as Naomi Klein's 2023 book “Doppelganger.” How, then, should we navigate a world in which it's more and more difficult to separate fact from fiction? Some antidotes may lie in the fictions themselves. “The rest of us who are not as conspiratorial in bent could spend more time looking at those conspiracies,” Cunningham says. “To understand what a troubling number of our fellows believe is a kind of tonic action.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Don't Blame ‘Stupid People on the Internet' for Palace's Princess Kate Lies,” by Will Bunch (the Philadelphia Inquirer)“Doppelganger,” by Naomi Klein“The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” by Richard Hofstadter (Harper's Magazine)“The Parallax View” (1974)“Cutter's Way” (1981) “Reddit's I.P.O. Is a Content Moderation Success Story,” by Kevin Roose (the New York Times)New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.
While the media focuses obsessively on Harvard, the state universities that the majority of American students actually attend are under attack. We're joined by faculty at three universities, all reeling from a similar combination of austerity, vocationalizing and the growing right-wing hostility to higher education. What emerges is an old story with a new twist–the latest installment in a raging battle over what college is for, who gets to decide, and who gets to attend. Our all-star cast includes, Jon Shelton, UW Green Bay; Rose Casey, West Virginia University; Audrey Berlowitz, UNC Greensboro; and Will Bunch, author of After the Ivory Tower Falls. The financial support of listeners like you keeps this podcast going. Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HaveYouHeardPodcast or donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/haveyouheardpodcast
Full Hour | Today, Dom led off the Dom Giordano by offering up some updates on the pushback against antisemitism on college campuses, telling why he's in favor of the resignation of UPenn President Liz Magill. Dom tells of a column written by Will Bunch, which compares the calls for resignation to McCarthyism, explaining why the opinion is incredibly off-base. Then, Dom plays back a clip from SNL that's gone viral for its controversial nature featuring a parody of Elise Stefanik and her questioning of University decision-makers in a hearing last week. Then, Dom delves into his updated forecasting of the upcoming Republican primary, telling why he's anticipating an upcoming poll that will answer a lot of questions about both the front-runner Trump and those behind him. Then, Dom welcomes in Fox News Legal Analyst Andy McCarthy for some updates on two legal cases dominating headlines, both the indictment of Hunter Biden and that of former President Donald Trump. First, McCarthy offers his overall thoughts on the continued trial of Donald Trump, suggesting why the former President has only grown in the polls since finding himself in legal trouble. Then, McCarthy offers his thoughts on the Hunter Biden indictment, telling of his expectations for what's to come in the trial and whether the President's son will serve time and whether it will have any implication on the upcoming Presidential election. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Greg Olear is joined by Will Bunch, the national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. They discuss how the higher education system broke our politics, why the media fails to accurately report on the rise of American fascism, Trump's ominous re-election plans, the far right's dream of a Red Caesar, and whether the Eagles are a team of destiny. Plus: a new staffing agency.Follow Will:https://twitter.com/Will_BunchRead his columns:https://www.inquirer.com/author/bunch_will/Subscribe to his newsletter:/inquirer.com/bunchBuy his book:https://www.amazon.com/After-Ivory-Tower-Falls-Politics_and/dp/0063076993Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/prevailfree and use code prevailfree for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/aboutWould you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short. *
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Will Bunch joins us today. I invited him on after reading his column about the death of Henry Kissinger and how the man who finally died would have likely applauded MSNBC firing Mehdi Hasan. Selfishly, I want to point out that Mehdi's not the only one who had a show canceled because management (or some other entity) didn't like his stance or coverage of the war between Hamas & Israel... But there's more news to talk about including Liz Cheney's revelations in her new book, Tommy Tuberville finally lifting his military promotions blockade, the Republican's impeachment threat, the Trump second term threat... I could go on, but I've got a show to prepare for.
Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and National Opinion Columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Bunch. They discuss how the far-right's call for a “Red Caesar” means welcoming chaos and dictatorship with open arms, the media's discomfort with directly covering MAGA's autocratic actions, and why a failure of imagination continues to be one of the greatest dangers to our nation's democracy. Plus, a look at the American college system through a political lens. If you'd like to hear more from Will Bunch, be sure to check out his latest article, subscribe to his weekly newsletter, and pick up his latest book, After the Ivory Tower Falls. For more from Reed Galen, be sure to subscribe to “The Home Front”. If you'd like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump begs supporters for money as his legal bills pile up. Also, Republicans struggle to find a new House speaker. And The New York Times reports that a pedestrian was killed when struck by a car driven by Sen. Bob Menendez's wife in 2018. Adam Klasfeld, Tim O'Brien, Catherine Christian, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Stuart Stevens and Will Bunch join Lawrence O'Donnell.
On this week's episode of The New Abnormal, hosts Andy and Levy and Danielle Moodie discuss the ramifications of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's latest freeze. Plus! National opinion columnist for the “Philadelphia Enquirer,” Will Bunch, talks to us about his recent article surrounding the state of journalism. Then, The Daily Beast's politics reporter Zachary Petrizzo stops by to let us in on what's happening with G O P fundraising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Will Bunch regularly writes columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer that you should read. But he knocked one out of the park this week with the one headlined, "Journalism fails miserably at explaining what is really happening to America".Will joins me at the bottom of the hour for a much needed dialog.But first, some good news to share, along with some not-so-good news too and an important milestone in my life. Welcome to Wednesday... at least we're halfway to the weekend now!
The media is covering the Republican primary like it's a normal election. When the "front runner" is a twice impeached, four times indicted criminal with 91 felony counts, this is not a normal election. Will Bunch sounds the alarm for The Philadelphia Inquirer: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/media-2020-election-trump-authoritarianism-20230827.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The first day back after a long holiday weekend is always tough. But here we are.News was made while America was using the day set aside to remember those lost in battle to buy mattresses and gorge themselves on food and beer. OK, I'm over-generalizing, but we really do need to step back and assess our priorities from time to time. And this would be a good time to do that.With the debt ceiling negotiations ongoing as the holiday weekend began, I was taken aback that the so-called cable news channel MSNBC opted to run the Rudy Giuliani story on repeat Monday afternoon into evening instead of offering some semblance of news, but that would be asking too much. (I guess they all had mattresses to buy or steaks to grill or something...)Today, I was happy to receive Will Bunch's newsletter.Will Bunch is a national columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and, thankfully, in today's edition, he gave a good roundup of what transpired while America was celebrating all of our war dead... or something.So, after I start the show by lamenting that my town suffered yet another mass shooting (when will it ever end?!?) and share a few other thoughts, I'll welcome Will Bunch back to the show and let him tell you what the media missed about the laughing stock that was the fascist Florida man's ridiculous presidential campaign launch and more!At the start of the show, I mentioned an article I wrote encouraging the rest of the world to issue travel advisories against vacationing here due to danger from guns, and it's finally happening, 10 years later! Here's the original column.
Full Hour | In today's second hour, Dom leads off the Dom Giordano Program by telling about a shark attack on a 15-year-old girl in Stone Harbor, NJ, who had her foot bitten while surfing. Dom ties this to the construction of offshore windmills, asking whether sharks are moving closer to the shoreline due to the work being done, which has killed whales and dolphins all up and down the Jersey Shore. Then, Dom reads back an editorial that suggests voters should not view Dianne Feinstein's cognitive shortfalls similarly to Fetterman's, justifying why issues Fetterman is suffering through pales in comparison to Feinstein, which Dom takes issue with. Then, Dom reads back a new column written by Will Bunch in the Inquirer claiming that the Republican push on the debt ceiling is based in nihilism, responding with an explanation why he believes the opposite to be true. Then, Dom welcomes in State Representative Russ Diamond back onto the Dom Giordano Program after the Republican publicly asked Doug Mastriano to not run for United States Senate after the State Senator teased an announcement next week. Diamond, who has been a longtime ally of Mastriano's in Harrisburg, put out a tweet publicly asking the Senator to stand down because of the negative implications his gubernatorial run had on other elections statewide. Diamond explains his point, telling that particularly stances on issues colored other races throughout the State, with Giordano making note of how Republicans need to move forward, particularly with the issue of abortion, to win a Senate seat in the State of Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Guest-host Jefferson Smith fills in for Thom Hartmann today. On CNN last night Donald Trump doubled down on his lies in support of the white supremacist haters convicted of violently killing one police officer and sending 140 others to the hospital on January 6th. As long as Trump — or someone who shares his fascistic worldview — heads the Republican Party, this country will continue to be in crisis. Since Trump's arrival on the scene, this cancer has spread. Guests: Prof Brad Snyder - Democratic Justice Felix Frakfurter. Will Bunch, national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today's Guests Are: Chairwoman Lavora Barnes, Jil Lawrence, Will Bunch, and Ald Roderick
This week we're continuing our exploration into the ways that higher education contributes to America's political, cultural, and economic divisions. Goldy chats with author Will Bunch about how our leaders almost established a university education as a public good, why the so-called “knowledge economy” has caused inequality to grow, and how we can possibly fix our educational divide. Will Bunch is a national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of several books. He has won numerous journalism awards and shared the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting with the New York Newsday staff. Twitter: @Will_Bunch After the Ivory Tower Falls https://www.harpercollins.com/products/after-the-ivory-tower-falls-will-bunch Better Public Schools Won't Fix America https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/education-isnt-enough/590611 Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick's twitter: @NickHanauer
EPISODE 163: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:41) The apparent final witness who could get Donald Trump arrested for paying off Stormy Daniels is named Pecker. DAVID Pecker, former publisher of the National Inquirer and the middleman in the Catch-and-Kill process by which Trump buried his infidelity problem before the 2016 election, returned to Alvin Bragg's Manhattan Grand Jury to confirm a) Trump paid her off and b) Trump knew it was done to influence the outcome of the election. Silence out of the Special Counsel's office; Trump slammed on Fox and Fox Business for his Waco speech; and why Trump's history with Mike Tyson explains Trump's cult unshakable adherence to him even though he's such a putz. B-Block (15:38) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Was turmoil in Israel quieted or worsened when the Prime Minister said he was staving off a "civil war"? The far right calls the Nashville shooting a false flag - until the shooter was ID'd as Trans and that became their only headline. (19:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: C-Block (26:15) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: The whole crowd at New York Bully Crew needs our donations - they're out of food (27:15) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: Newly recovered from an archaeological dig in my storage unit: the ORIGINAL unedited copy of the greatest TV sports outtake of all time: Gary Miller's SOCCER BREAKDOWN.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Will democracy survive in this land of its modern birth? Will we take seriously the threat of those who proudly called themselves “Cultural Warriors?” Also, Trump says of the 2024 battle: ‘It's going to be a life or death election." How much more unaccountable violence will Trump be allowed? Our mass shooting problem is very simple - It is about the access to guns. Where is the media? Interview: National Opinion Columnist on the Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Bunch reports on that toxic mushroom cloud over Ohio. Plus Marjorie Taylor Greene is complaining that not enough money went toward rail safety in the bill that she voted against - How twisted can you be? Crazy Alert! Charlie Kirk claims Ohio train derailment is proof of a 'war against white people.' See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
EPISODE 123: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:42) SPECIAL COMMENT: "You have a lot of folks who are just waiting for his mortal demise," says former Michigan Republican Congressman Peter Meijer. "I've heard from a lot of people who will go onstage and put on the red hat and then give me a call the next day and say 'I can't wait until this guy dies.'" It's an amazing strategy but a passive one. And it ignores the various walls closing in on Trump: two District Attorneys, three Grand Juries, one Judiciary Chairman annoyed at John Durham and William Barr, one Judiciary Chairman rebuffed by Merrick Garland, one porn star, and one guy named Pecker. Still, potentially the most extraordinary story about Trump: the clouds gathering around the arrest of Charlie McGonigal, who was a 24/7, 365 days a year, hot and cold running blackmail-victim-FBI-Agent-waiting-to-happen. And now two analysts look at his arrest and suggest: this may evolve into a) a spy scandal in which the national security was utterly breached and b) a journalistic disaster in which Trump, Russia, and the FBI managed to manipulate The New York Times into pushing Trump across the finish line in 2016. B-Block (18:53) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: Memphis, in Texas (20:06) IN SPORTS: The passing of hockey's Bobby Hull and Cleveland's John Adams; Why was the 52nd best player in baseball chosen to adorn the cover of its top video game? And happy 206th birthday, J. Shorthouse, Esq. (24:07) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: More George Santos stupidity, a Florida Climate Caucus Congresswoman who owns up to $195k in oil stocks, and Megyn Kelly slams Jill Biden for something her own father did. C-Block (29:56) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: CNN has gone and done it: addressing its cratering ratings by adding a regular Friday segment from Bill Maher's HBO panel. Time again to go back to 2009 when Bill and I nearly brawled at his HBO after-party because he insisted we never met in college (spoiler alert: Oh yeah we did).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The wingnuts controlling the House are giving us a preview of what we can expect from the next two years and it won't be pretty. I'll begin the show today with a brief recap of the House shenanigans and floor speeches and a bit of the news of the day. And then we'll be joined by Will Bunch, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Will was supposed to be here last Wednesday... but he will be here today. I think!
Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Guests: Speaker Rusty Bowers, Will Bunch, Claire McCaskill, Carlos Curbelo, Sen. Amy KlobucharAll but one Arizona county certifies election results, as deniers rage in Maricopa. Tonight, Republican Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers on the enduring potency of Donald Trump's Big Lie. Then, what dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Nick Fuentes and Kanye actually says about the far right and the disgraced ex-president. Plus, Kellyanne Conway's surprise five-hour visit with the January 6 committee. And 8 days from a Warnock, Walker rematch—the incredible scene in Georgia that Republicans tried to prevent.
How did college become so expensive? Why is higher education the subject of so much political and cultural division? And how can we restore a sense of equality to learning? This week on Now & Then, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the history of higher education and his new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It. Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history For more historical analysis of current events, sign up for the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter, featuring Time Machine, a weekly article that dives into an historical event inspired by each episode of Now & Then: cafe.com/brief For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/educating-a-nation-higher-ed-in-peril-with-will-bunch/ Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's a special Matt Binder edition of the Majority Report! But first, we have a pre-taped interview from Emma. Emma speaks with Will Bunch, national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, to discuss his new book After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics-and How to Fix It. Matt Binder begins by running through updates on the Queen's not-so-wellbeing, a Las Vegas public official's arrest in the case of the murder of a journalist, Gov. Hochul lifting the NYC mask mandate, and Ron Johnson's response to the public's response to his response in support of same-sex marriage. Then, Emma is joined by Will Bunch as he dives right into the history of the privatization of higher education, first painting an image of the general arc from the golden age of college in the mid-1900s, emphasizing an educated and socially-developed populace, to the neoliberal era that leverages tuition and debt as a means of social control, thus shifting the purpose of education from developing one's personal philosophy to conditioning young adults for the workforce. Next, they step back to the 1940s with the introduction of the GI bill coming out of the Second World War seeking to give veterans a beneficial reintroduction to society, only for their presence to revolutionize the college system, opening up the elites in charge of the institutions to bringing in those outside of their social sphere (poorer, non-WASP), and leading right into the baby boom of the mid-20th Century, cementing a college education's role in the middle-class journey. Bunch then parses through what made the three decades in the middle of the 1900s so different from what came after it, with state tax coffers full to the brim allowing them to fund a diverse array of studies, supporting myriad studies and passions with no fear of it hindering one's entrance to the workforce, only for older capitalist elites to turn around and resent a more-educated population for attempting to change their political systems for the better (particularly with the rise of HBCU enrollment, college integration, and university activism). This begins the era of neoliberal deregulation and austerity, with Nixon advisors openly admitting to the threat of an “educated proletariat,” and starting the trend that Ronald Reagan would cement, reducing the use of pell grants, unshackling creditors, and guaranteeing loan payments, all helping the push tuitions higher and higher, and pushing more and more investment towards superfluous amenities to draw in wealthier students, and pushing non-elite families deeper and deeper in debt. Wrapping up, they tackle the impact of the 2008 financial crash on pushing the student debt crisis over the edge, look at the ironic myth of meritocracy, discuss the importance of universality in any solution, and explore the increasing divide between college-educated and non-college-educated Americans. And in the Fun Half: Matt Binder is joined by Brandon Sutton as they tackle Tucker's feature on Fox & Friends (the expert on creepy laughs and weird AOC takes that he is), Kowalski then calls to explore the most influential moments in his education, and Ben from Texas discusses work in sports radio. Jordan Peterson continues his descent into sorrowful madness and spiteful transphobia, Sadie from Texas explores teaching while queer in a conservative state, and Sarah Palin complains about not being popular. Plus, your calls and IMs! Check out Will's book here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/after-the-ivory-tower-falls-will-bunch?variant=40088708907042 Check out ESVN's YouTube channel here! https://www.youtube.com/c/ESVNShow Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/
Will Bunch joins us to talk about his impossibly timely new book: After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics—and How to Fix It. Discussed in this episode: how college almost became a public good (and could again); how the right fanned the flames of culture war to push higher education privatization; and why we should be so concerned that the GOP is now using the same playbook to target K-12. Also, is Biden's student debt relief plan a blip or does it mark a move away from the vision of education as human capital development? The financial support of listeners like you keeps this podcast going. Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HaveYouHeardPodcast or donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/haveyouheardpodcast
Episode 627 - Will Bunch is a First Class Father and national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of several books, including his latest: “After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It”. He has won numerous journalism awards and shared the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting with the New York Newsday staff. In this Episode, Will shares his Fatherhood journey which includes a son and daughter. He discusses the current state of colleges in America. He describes why so many parents have difficulty deciding whether or not they should send their kids to college. He talks about his new book, “After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It” and why it's important for every parent to read. He offers some great advice for new or soon-to-be dads and more! After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It - https://a.co/d/6QXPYLz FamilyMade - https://familymade.com First Class Fatherhood: Advice and Wisdom from High-Profile Dads - https://bit.ly/36XpXNp Watch First Class Fatherhood on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCD6cjYptutjJWYlM0Kk6cQ?sub_confirmation=1 More Ways To Listen - https://linktr.ee/alec_lace Follow me on instagram - https://instagram.com/alec_lace?igshid=ebfecg0yvbap For information about becoming a Sponsor of First Class Fatherhood please hit me with an email: FirstClassFatherhood@gmail.com
Over this past year, the Taliban have broken their promises to allow girls to continue their schooling and women to keep their jobs. Many girls and women are disappearing — arrested for violating the morality code, or abducted and forced to marry one of the Taliban. We talk with British/Iranian journalist Ramita Navai, who went undercover to speak to women who were victimized by the Taliban, and women working underground to help women escape brutality. Her new PBS Frontline documentary is called Afghanistan Undercover. Also, we talk with Will Bunch, author of After the Ivory Tower Falls, about how college tuition became so expensive, driving students and parents into debt. Justin Chang reviews the film Ali & Ava.
James and Al lay out the current state of the midterm elections and the implications of the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Then, they are joined by author and Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch for a conversation about the disaster Republican moves to privatize and commoditize higher education have posed for young people around the country. Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon. Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you're from! Get More From This Week's Guests: Will Bunch: Twitter | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Author of “After The Ivory Tower Falls” & Other Books Please Support This Week's Sponsors: Feals Focus Melts: Save 50% off your first order of Feals focus melts and get free shipping by going to feals.com with promo code: WARROOM Raycon Get 15% off your Raycon order when you go to buyraycon.com and use the promo code: WARROOM15 Miracle Brand: For 40% off high quality self-cooling sheets with 3 free towels, go to trymiracle.com and use the promo code: WARROOM
Americans owe trillions in student loan debt, even as education is seen as a public good. Will Bunch, national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the origins of the college dream of equal opportunity, its funding failures and how degrees are now a source of cultural division. His book is “After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics—and How to Fix It.”
Katrina vanden Heuvel says we need a real debate on the Ukraine war; The House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection will hold its first public hearing this Thursday; Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch on how shooters wielding semiautomatic rifles massacred at least three in the city Saturday; A landmark California task force report calls for reparations to descendants of enslaved people. Get Democracy Now! delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Daily Digest: democracynow.org/subscribe
Air Date 3/19/2022 Today we take a look at the details of the planned coup that had its culmination in the form of a violent insurrection at the US Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021 as well as the ongoing efforts to undermine and dismantle the structures of our election system. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Discord Explained Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: January 6th Planning Was WAY More Detailed Than We Thought - The Majority Report - Air Date 2-5-22 In some ways, the attack on the Capitol looked haphazard but the answer is far scarier. There was much more planning by the group involved. Ch. 2: Columnist Will Bunch: Trump Came Much Closer to Pulling Off a January 6 Coup Than People Realize - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-5-22 National columnist Will Bunch says there is growing evidence that links Trump and his inner circle to the Capitol attack. Ch. 3: Pence lawyer at center of Trump pressure tactic spends hours with January 6th Committee - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 2-2-22 Michael Schmidt, Washington correspondent for the New York Times; David Wilson. Ch. 4: Reform the Insurrection Act: Former Pentagon Adviser Says Trump Almost Used It to Subvert Election - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-22 Former Pentagon adviser Ryan Goodman says former President Trump could have used the Insurrection Act to hold onto power onJanuary 6, 2021. Ch. 5: Fake Trump electors, Trump White House official receive January 6th Committee subpoenas - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 1-29-22 Rep. Pete Aguilar, member of the January 6th Committee Ch. 6: Former FL county election chief Ion Sancho on MAGA threats to election officials - The BradCast - Air Date 3-15-22 It took decades to build our system of non-partisan, professional election administration, but the entire system is now under persistent attack by Trump's MAGA Mob. Ch. 7: Trump flouting of Presidential Records Act leaves National Archives scrambling - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 2-7-22 Michael Schmidt, Washington correspondent for the New York Times Ch. 8: Trump Facing CRIMINAL Charges Per Trump Riot Committee - David Pakman Show - Air Date 3-3-22 The January 6 Trump riot committee has released a list of possible criminal charges committed by former President Donald Trump. MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 9: Trump flouting of Presidential Records Act leaves National Archives scrambling Part 2 - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 2-7-22 Ch. 10: Former FL county election chief Ion Sancho on MAGA threats to election officials Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 3-15-22 VOICEMAILS Ch. 11: Thoughts on the Ukraine context episode - Alan from Connecticut FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 12: Final comments on our new Discord community server and how to join TAKE ACTION! Become a Poll Worker or Election Official: WorkElections.org EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE Expert fears partisan actors may replace election workers who quit over threats (PBS News Hour) 1 in 5 local election officials say they're likely to quit before 2024 (NPR) Researchers warn that Christian nationalists are becoming more radical and are targeting voting (Washington Post) One in five U.S. election workers may quit amid threats, politics (Reuters) Local election officials are exhausted, under threat and thinking about quitting (Politico) Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions) SHOW IMAGE: Description: Black and white photo from a rally. A hand holds up a sign that says "Remember Jan. 6th, Senators. Protect Our Democracy Now". Credit: "January 6th Vigil for Democracy" by Becker1999, Wikimedia Commons | License | Changes: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson