Sam and Emma host freelance journalist Chris Pomorski to discuss his recent piece in The New Republic "When Innocence Isn't Enough." Then they are joined by Amjad Iraqi, editor at 972 Magazine, to discuss the recent violence in the Gaza Strip. Emma and Sam begin by covering updates on the DOJ search warrant for Mar-a-Lago, the continuing emergency in Jackson, the success of South Carolina’s abortion ban and the fall of Arkansas’ trans healthcare ban, before tackling the continued Fox & Frenemies infighting between Doocy and Kilmeade. Chris Pomorski then dives into the story of Christopher Dunn’s wrongful imprisonment, beginning in St. Louis, 1990 when an 18-year-old Christopher Dunn was charged and convicted for the murder of a 14-year-old boy based solely on the eyewitness testimony of two other children that would later recant, citing pressure and intimidation from the police. After tackling the failures of Dunn’s public defender (largely grounded in racism), Pomorski then dives into what happened in the wake of Dunn’s innocence becoming clear, why the judge determining his case believe him to be wrongfully convicted, and how Missouri law prohibits overturning convictions that aren’t death sentences. Wrapping up, they look at where Dunn can go from here, as Missouri executive representatives (Governor and AG) refused to step in while the legislature passed a law putting his future exclusively in the hands of the prosecutors that incarcerated him in the first place. Then, Amjad Iraqi parses through the lasting effects of last May’s Palestinian uprising in the face of heightened Israeli violence and oppression, first walking through the two core struggles that arose during Ramadan as Israeli police assaulted worshipers in Jerusalem and at key religious locations like Damascus Gate and Al-Aqsa mosque, and Israeli and American Jewish settlers began forcibly removing Palestinians and their belongings from their houses as part of their genocidal gentrification project. Next, Amjad, Emma, and Sam, discuss the solidarity among Palestinians that this inspired, how it bolsters a growing nascent collective consciousness among Palestinian youth, and where Palestinian organizing might go from here. Wrapping up, they also cover the evolution of Israel’s genocidal project, from periods of more front-facing violence to attempts to obscure the blood they shed, with the latter coming back to the fore as Israel attempts to force NGOs and journalists out of Gaza.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma tease a surprise for this Friday, before diving deep into Jordan Peterson’s ridiculous, violent, and obviously hypocritical reasoning behind his recent “controversial” tweets, the shameless man he is, also walking through the effects of this stochastic rhetoric from the likes of him, Matt Walsh, and Libs of TikTok, as Boston Children’s Hospital was forced to clear out in the wake of bomb threats over its trans-inclusive care. They also cover Rob Schneider’s World War II allegory to express his willingness to be canceled, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Chris's piece here: https://newrepublic.com/article/166767/christopher-dunn-missouri-murder-innocent

Check out Amjad's work at 972 Magazine here: https://www.972mag.com/writer/amjad/

Sam is back! He and Emma are joined by Jamie Martin, Assistant Professor of History at Harvard University, to discuss his recent book The Meddlers: Sovereignty, Empire, and the Birth of Economic Global Governance. First, Sam and Emma dive into developments in Ukraine as the UN sends in Nuclear Inspectors, a massive flood in Pakistan displacing millions, and the clear public support behind Biden’s student debt relief. Jamie Moran then joins as he gets right into the story of liberalism’s international systems based on sovereign encroachment, and why the conventional narrative begins with the Bretton-Woods conference in 1944 that saw the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, aligning with the United States emerging from its isolationism to the peak of a globalized liberal order, and being followed (with the failure of the Bretton-Woods system in the ‘70s) by a new project of neoliberal hyper globalization, forcing austere reform on what they saw as “developing economies.” Next, Professor Martin dives into why HIS history of the subject started well before Bretton-Woods, seeing the leveraging of sovereign states by international economic coalitions into painful domestic reform as a tale as old as capitalism, burgeoning in the middle of the 19th Century with the nation-state boom bringing countless new governments onto the international stage, and the lasting European empires (largely France and England) granting these nations “sovereignty” under conditions of severe extraction by their former colonizers. These systems largely continued in the wake of the colonial expansions of the 18th and 19th Centuries, leading up to the first World War which saw Europe and the US create wartime international bodies that actually exercise their colonial power collectively, and translated (however poorly) into the post-war systems such as the League of Nations. Looking at the next couple of decades, Professor Martin explores how Britain (and France to a lesser extent) came to largely dominate the economic discourse of the League of Nations, employing imperial creditor arrangements in the wake of the 1920s’ depression to bolster their international leverage, and why the US’ isolation from the League was due to this very reason of protecting their own sovereignty. Walking through the years following World War II, Sam, Emma, and Jamie Martin discuss how the lack of borders allowed US creditors to overtake the Bank of England and other EU creditors by containing extortion to the financial realm, and putting them in peak position going into the Bretton-Wood conference, and ensuring the IMF and World Bank functioned under their control. Wrapping up, they explore other translations of these colonial practices around sovereignty (including the Cold War’s emphasis on anti-communism), and reflect on why a fetishized nostalgia for these systems is severely misplaced.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch Marco Rubio struggle over how “unfair” Joe Biden is being, Sam waits with beta – I mean bated –  breath for the rest of Tim Pool’s album, Mike from South Carolina calls in to discuss the GI Bill as a Vet, and Ryan from Arizona explores his states’ recent elections. Dave Rubin thanks Liberty U students for praying his gay away, Eamon from California discusses the fire hazards prevalent in the critiques of the Uvalde teachers, and Sam and Emma explore the destruction in Pakistan, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jamie's book here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674976542

Emma hosts Alex Pareene, Contributing Editor at the New Republic and proprietor of the AP newsletter on Substack, to round up the week in news. Then, Emma is joined by Astra Taylor, co-founder of the Debt Collective and author of the recent book Remake the World: Essays, Reflections, Rebellions, to discuss Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Then, Emma is joined by Astra Taylor, co-founder of the Debt Collective and author of the recent book, “Remake the World: Essays, Reflections, Rebellions,” to discuss Biden's student loan forgiveness program. Emma also touches on the likelihood of the Mar-a-Lago affidavit’s release today, Biden’s BOOMING (44%) approval rating, and recent appearances in the wake of electoral Ws having much more energy. Then, Alex Pareene drops by as he and Emma get right into the rising charisma of supposed “Dark Brandon,” as he begins feeling himself coming out of the success of the IRA, January 6th Committee, and canceling student debt, as Democrats finally come along on the whole “actually, getting things done is a good thing” idea (with months until the midterms we can only hope it wasn’t too little too late). Next, they dive into the mixed bag of the NY election results, discussing the Democrats absolutely blowing the bag with redistricting, employing the weight of that failure to push progressives into infighting, and why the lesson to be learned from this is to upset the first-past-the-post electoral system, employing ranked voting and other experimental policies, and to either detach from or completely reinvent Congressional Electoral Committees like the DCCC. Wrapping up they dive into the intensifying 1/6 Committee, walking through the foolish institutionalism that would have Merrick Garland believe that following DOJ requisites would shield him from backlash, assessing his base entering the midterms, and the importance of actually putting forwards multiple issues beyond “they’re being unfair to me” in winning an election (See: Hillary 2016). Astra Taylor and Emma then conclude the free half by walking through the story of student debt relief, beginning during the Occupy Wall Street movement, met with the typical media dismissiveness, only to evolve over the next decade (with help from Congressional progressives like Warren, Sanders, and even Schumer) into a political movement that not only has viability but even practical implementation, wrapping up by taking on the legitimacy of the “minimal relief” critiques on the debt forgiveness.

And in the Fun Half: Emma watches as Blake Masters starts a to-thiel coverup of his anti-abortion past, Jared Kushner discusses his billionaire fantasies of immortality and Martha MacCallum asks if it’s hard to be part of a family that gets arrested so much. Tim Pool brings it back to the mediocre rock of the ‘90s, and – much to Jesse Watters’ titillation – Missouri brings back spanking as an academic punishment.  The crew also responds to the “why do you deserve student debt relief if you went to a private college” talking point, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out the AP newsletter here: https://theap.substack.com/

Check out Alex's "Politics of Everything" podcast here: https://newrepublic.com/podcasts

Check out the Debt Collective here: https://debtcollective.org/

Emma hosts Noah Kulwin, co-host of the Blowback podcast, to discuss his recent piece in The Baffler entitled "Tales from the Thrifts." First, Emma dives into Biden’s recent executive moves, from codifying DACA to the 10-20k student debt cancellation, and explores the absolutely wild takes from the right on the minimal debt relief. Then, Noah Kulwin joins to discuss the parallel his article painted between the Savings and Loans (SnL) crisis of the 80s and the Crypto crashes of today, jumping back to the 1970s when the deregulation of the SnL industry began amidst inflation, continuing to open it up its investment opportunities and bail it out repeatedly (under both Carter and Reagan), with 1982’s Garn Saint-Germain Act opening the industry up to federally guaranteed money laundering schemes, and the government legislation climaxing with the passage of FIRREA in 1989. Unsurprisingly, Kulwin then walks through the massive influence the SnL sector had in Washington, as the biggest Congressional donors, acting as real estate developers and mortgage lenders at the same time, before they shift to the similarly unregulated market of Crypto, acting effectively as bonds for surplus capital in much the same was, despite their advertisement as a currency, diving into the similar tactics we see between the two sectors, particularly when it comes to broadcasting themself onto the mainstream and bolstering certain illegal and profitable industries. Wrapping up, Emma and Noah walk through the recent collapse of the tied crypto coins Luna and Terra and why Ponzi schemes will never succeed, and the future of the Blowback podcast.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon Sutton as they explore student debt bondage as a funnel into the worlds of privatized industry, meaning our smartest students have spent the ‘90s and ‘00s working on derivatives and crashing the stock market, and the 2010s on electronic surveillance and crypto. Sophia from Atlanta discusses her mom’s attraction to Andrew Yang’s “Forwards Party,” Dr. Oz responds to claims that everyone hates him, and the crew dives into an openly racist Juneteenth parody party that took place in Rochester NY, and the lawsuit that has since followed. Adam from Rhode Island discusses Biden’s 10k student debt relief and why being better than the Right isn’t enough, Ron DeSantis lacks the Orange Man juice, and Marjorie Taylor Greene discusses being swatted, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Noah's piece here: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/tales-from-the-thrifts-kulwin

Check out Noah's podcast Blowback here: https://blowback.show/

Emma hosts Dr. Heather Berg, Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University St. Louis, to discuss her recent book Porn Work: Sex, Labor, and Late Capitalism. Emma hosts Dr. Heather Berg, Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University St. Louis, to discuss her recent book Porn Work: Sex, Labor, and Late Capitalism. Emma first dives into yesterday’s primary results in NY and Florida, walking through the crushing victories of socialists Krysten Gonzalez, Gustavo Rivera, and Jabari Brisport in New York City and Maxwell Frost in Orlando, before looking at real-estate and NYT-backed Dan Goldman’s victory despite three progressive candidates passing 10k votes. Then, she’s joined by Doctor Heather Berg as they dive right into her class-based analysis of porn and sex work, and how she came to this field of study, walking through the field’s historical focus on consumption and representation in the industry despite the intrigue Dr. Berg found in the grey market nature of the work, occasionally being criminalized and always a precarious element of the gig economy, leading her to look to the void of worker commentary on working conditions in the industry. After a brief conversation on the (unsurprisingly) laborious and mundane nature of this labor, and how it departs from other gig industries (much easier to work for oneself), Dr. Heather Berg and Emma walk through the history of porn and sex work in the US, beginning in the 1970s’ supposed “golden age” of porn, and why, despite the heralding of pieces like “Deep Throat” and “The Devil in Miss Jones,” the majority of pornographic productions in this era saw lower-budget films with lower-quality working conditions, before the switch to video in the 1980s saw profits soar, with better pay being met with longer work weeks and more hardcore productions meaning greater physical labor (and more anti-porn backlash from Christian fundamentalists). Alongside the video boom, the HIV/AIDS epidemic saw the beginnings of organizing in the industry, as sex workers and porn stars saw themselves at the forefront of the public health efforts, creating their own standards of testing across the industry, leading up to the digital boom of the 1990s, where a mass increase in piracy (largely supported by the production elements of the industry) saw workers’ claims to the fruits of their labor start to vanish, with companies like Pornhub springing up to centralize the production with limited redistribution of profits and offering a blueprint for the more clearly “gig” work of Onlyfans that would come about a couple of decades later. Wrapping up, Dr. Berg and Emma tackle the state of the industry today, exploring how the discriminatory policies and pay around certain identities come from the ingrained standards of the late 20th Century, the efforts of organizations such as BIPOC Adult Industry Collective not only to make demands of management but to provide the infrastructure for workers to become completely independent from management, and why the issues around working conditions in sex work and porn are not due to their nature as “sex” but their nature as work.

And in the Fun Half: Emma discusses Biden finally being pushed to do the bare minimum to address the student debt crisis (hitting both means-testing and grant-specific qualifiers), before Kowalski from Nebraska shares his take on the 10-20k in relief. Emma and the crew also tackle the brief fall of Andrew Tate, walking through Hasan’s debate with him, and James from Fort Worth explores book banning and Christian fundamentalism in schools. Jamaal Bowman has an expert response to the NY Democratic Party pitting progressives against each other, and Denis Prager endorses a Naz-so-bad slogan called the three Ks. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Heather's book here: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469661926/porn-work/

Emma hosts Dr. John Abramson, lecturer of health care policy at Harvard University, to discuss his recent book Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Healthcare and How We Can Repair It.  First, Emma walks through Donald Trump’s opening up of a lawsuit against the US Government, ICE officials’ requirement to wipe phones upon leaving, and updates for today’s primaries in Oklahoma, New York, and Florida. Then, Dr. John Abramson joins as he gets right into contextualizing his recent book within his greater work over these last few decades, walking back to his research in the late 1990s – while a family doctor and visiting lecturer at Harvard – that lead him to discover the overwhelming sway that Big Pharma held over determining what the medical community consensus was, particularly around the implementation of more expensive prescriptions. Next, he gets right into the role of pharmaceutical company Merck’s drug “Vioxx,” in his research; advertised as an arthritis drug without adverse GI bleeds, Vioxx was approved in 1999 with a particularly influential spread in the New England Journal of Medicine, only for Abramson to dive into the proper FDA data (incredibly difficult to actually get one’s hands on) and find that Merck had seen (consciously) a doubled risk of Cardiovascular complications. This brings Dr. Abramson to the climax that lead to his first book, Overdosed America, which was his lectures to Harvard Medical students on how and WHY there was this disconnect between Merck and NEJM, with the journal only provided with the peer-reviewed SUMMARY of data (8/13 peers were Merck employees), only to be confronted by lead editors of the Journal attempting to pressure him OUT of revealing this research – not because he hoped to correct it, but because it upset him that Harvard students were questioning his work. Wrapping up, Dr. John Abramson first dives into other forms of Big Pharma control over the US medical industry, looking at how cost-effectiveness studies and price-control are considered illegal allowing for Big Pharma to promote more-expensive less-effective pharmaceuticals, even with high-profile drugs such as insulin, all providing incredible price-gouging abilities for the industry, and the sway over medical journals that helps them back it up.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and the crew take on Donald Trump Jr.’s coked-up defense of his father, Brennan from Kentucky dives into the massive ecological disasters caused by the bourbon industry in the region, and watch DeSantis’ “Top Gun” parody.  They take on the legacy of Stanley Kubrick before Benny Boy from Iowa provides background on today’s interview, Tucker Carlson and Newsmax reflect on the life and legacy of Anthony Fauci, and then watch a haunting school-board meeting on CRT and the livelihoods of queer students. Ron Johnson talks about how safe gay marriage is (soo safe, nothing like abortion), and Tony from Fort Worth dives deep into the legendary depth of the Mean Girls cast, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out John's book here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/sickening-john-abramson?variant=39935390089250

Emma makes her triumphant return to MR! She is joined by Matthew Soules,  associate professor of architecture at the University of British Columbia, to discuss his recent book Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra-Thin: Architecture and Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century.

First, Emma walks updates us on her week in quarantine, before diving into the GOP’s ongoing fight to release the affidavit for the raid on Mar-a-Lago as Dan Crenshaw pleads with Jake Tapper that Donald Trump was actually super nice and cooperative with the DOJ. Then Emma is joined by Matthew Soules as he gets right into what makes the 21st Century brand of capitalism different from that of the 1900s, that difference being neoliberalism’s mode of finance capitalism becoming hegemonic in the world of wealth accumulation. Expanding on this, Matthew walks through the social role of architecture and how that changed with neoliberalism’s hyper-financialization, going from primarily practical structures of shelter with some cultural and wealth signifiers to becoming largely a unit of investment capital and speculation thus practically a financial asset, not a shelter. Next, Soule and Vigeland take on the role of the financialization of architecture in the 2008 financial crisis, central in the creation of Irish ghost estates, Spanish housing vacancies, and the housing crises in the South West United States. This brings Matthew to the integral and identifiable features of finance capitalism’s architecture, first looking at how it creates spaces of crisis, with housing – acting as assets – more tied to the rise and fall of the economy as representations of wealth speculation, and therefore not focused on actually housing people, but rather creating MORE investments for MORE speculation, resulting in spaces across the globe becoming grounds for huge construction projects with simultaneous mass vacancies – and their antithesis of mass-populated slums across urban spaces. After a brief discussion on the more practical effects of this shift in architecture – from the crippling of public spaces to the mass construction of condominiums that actively seek to distance themselves from the locales they look down upon, Matthew and Emma parse through the specifics of how these elites employ housing as a form of speculative wealth storage, with the “great wall of money” (aka elite wealth) building up in the wake of the 1980s, infecting the sector of real estate and physically mutating how it manifests itself over the next four decades, seeing the construction of “iceberg,” ultra-thin, and other standardized but architecturally “unique” (aka utilizing iconography) to create a facade of liquidity, detached from the ground below them, able to change with the economy. To wrap up, Emma and Matthew look at the development of Property Technology (such as Zillow and AirBnB) in bolstering these systems, providing direct evaluations of liquid assets AND a way to ensure passive income from these investments, bolstering the constant housing crises prevalent in today’s capitalism.

And in the Fun Half: Emma talks with Kory from Indianapolis on fundamentalist Christianity infiltrating the US courts, Matt dives into the conservative exterminationist perspective versus the liberal “cultural genocide” one, Ron Johnson proclaims that he HARDLY had anything to do with 1/6, and Andy Barr complains to Chuck Todd about the “politicization of the finance of oil,” – you know, that one massive profiteering scheme that’s driving inflation. Kenny from Berkeley touches on the PMC and academic exploitation, Bolsonairo loses his temper, and Ben Shaprio salivates at the thought of licking billionaire boots. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Matthew's book here: https://papress.com/products/icebergs-zombies-and-the-ultra-thin

It's Casual Friday! Sam hosts Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon.com and proprietor of the blog Hullabaloo, to round up the week in news. Then, Sam is joined by Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, candidate for Congress in New York's 10th Congressional District, to give an update from the campaign trail ahead of next Tuesday's primary.

First, Sam walks through a South Carolina legislator’s revelation that actually his 6-week fetal heartbeat bill actually CAN put literal teenagers through bodily horror and incredible danger, forcing his hand on the legislature’s upcoming totalistic abortion ban… to recuse his vote. Then, Digby joins as she and Sam dive right into the passing of Manchin’s Inflation Reduction Act as a scaled-back form of Biden’s Build Back Better, walking through the frustrating and INSTITUTIONALLY dysfunctional process that lead to this quarter-sandwich of a bill, and situating whether this counts as getting something done for the Democrats heading into the midterms. They also run through the positives of the bill, including opening up medicare negotiations for prescription drug prices, why it importantly opens up the ability to create price benchmarks even if there’s no immediate impact for non-medicare patients, before exploring why, despite this, Democrats still need to take on culture war issues like abortion, fascism, and trans rights if they want to keep their steam heading into the midterms. Next, they shift to the topic of Liz Cheney, exploring her unsurprising loss in the Wyoming primaries, her recent history of citing Democrats’ abortion policy as baby “killing fields,” and how, despite all of this, she’s still achieved the status of “Deified republican,” before wrapping up with a conversation on the Mar-a-Lago raids, and how the FBI knew exactly where to look for Trump’s classified documents. Then, Sam is joined by congressional candidate for NY-10 Yuh-Line Niou, exploring how she made a name for herself in a race with three mainstream progressives, the importance of running in a district that represents the entirety of her assembly district, and what sets her apart from her corporate rival Dan Goldman (there’s a lot). They wrap up their interview by taking on the topics of abortion rights (Dan’s biggest weak point), getting NY real estate money out of politics (also a weak point for Dan), and the roles of housing and climate policy in her campaign (okay, this one is another of Dan’s many weak points).

Check out Digby's work at Salon here: https://www.salon.com/writer/heather_digby_parton

Check out Yuh-Line's campaign here: https://www.nioufornewyork.com/

Sam hosts Brian Callaci, Chief Economist at the Open Markets Institute, to discuss his recent piece in Dissent Magazine "Inflation Is No Excuse For Squeezing Workers." Then, Sam is joined by Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a Kaiser Permanente mental health therapist, to discuss recent efforts by her and her colleagues to strike and organize for better working conditions. First, Sam walks through updates from yesterday’s primaries in Alaska and Wyoming (with Liz Cheney losing in the latter), and the continued suppression of reproductive rights in Florida and Louisiana, before diving deep into the official signing of the IRA into law, and the lingering peril around Manchin’s side deal – especially as progressives (see: Rashida Tlaib) reflect on how Manchin hustled them out of their side deal with the Bipartisan Infrastructure package. Then, Brian Callaci joins as he gets right into situating us within the current inflation discourse, walking through the conventional wisdom that is backing the mainstream media’s rhetoric (blaming wages, low unemployment, etc), and how that is juxtaposed with the actual nature of our current moment, with inflation hitting globally despite each county’s unique levels of wage stagnation and domestic monetary policy. Parsing through these contrasts, Callaci and Sam walk to discuss how US media has been attempting to pin responsibility for inflation on progressive domestic policies like the American Rescue Plan and booming wages, despite the numbers showing wages lagging BEHIND inflation and the obvious international issues of a rampant, three-year-long (so far) pandemic, a shattered supply chain infrastructure, a war in Europe’s bread basket (Ukraine), and violent-levels of monopolistic price gouging in the fossil fuel sector. Next, Sam opens the debate of whether this belief in Fed monetary policy is a genuine misdiagnosis, or if it’s an active undermining of a workforce that has been growing in strength and solidarity, wrapping up the interview by looking at the differences between a solution based on the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, and on based on its fiscal policy, exploring why the former is likely a clouded attempt to stifle wages. Then, Ilana Marcucci-Morris joins from the Kaiser Permanente picket line as she dives into how she and 2,067 other mental health therapists in California have spent the last 13 months pushing against Kaiser’s actively destructive policies around patient mental healthcare, using their bargaining power to bolster their patients’ right to care and ensuring they are able to provide the necessary work that they are there to provide.

And in the Fun Half: Sam talks with Brennan of KY from the Bo Hines campaign, Ben from VA on his former employer’s “no spoofing at work” policy, and explores Liz Cheney’s subtle soft-launch of a presidential campaign. Stephen Crowder hosts Don Jr. to boast about his stance as the most on-the-ground conservative, maybe ever? and preview Donald’s DeSantis talking points in a presidential race. Dominique from Baton Rouge discusses the Louisiana Democratic Party’s endorsement corruption, Joe from Minneapolis brings up the effect of a redistricting a week before the Democratic primary in the most progressive regions of Minneapolis, and Christina Bobb continues to frustrate conservative media by refusing to answer anything for DT. Prager continues to make Sam famous, Matt Walsh continues his stochastic terrorism against a literal Children’s Hospital, and Greg Gutfeld continues to be a very weird little racist homophobe, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Brian's piece here: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/inflation-is-no-excuse-for-squeezing-workers

Check out the Kaiser Permanente mental health workers story here: https://nuhw.org/kaiser-dont-deny/kaiser-strike/

Sam breaks down the biggest headlines of the day, as “Build Back… a bit” finally reaches Biden’s desk and more primaries approach. First, Sam discusses today’s primaries in Alaska and Wyoming, updates from New York’s primaries next week, and the ongoing Georgia election interference case bringing Rudy Giuliani and Lindsay Graham to the forefront, before also touching on Louisiana’s official abortion void. Next, they dive deep into the varying conservative responses to the raid on Mar-a-Lago, from Stuart Varney and Rachel Campos-Duffy walking through Trump’s mild-mannered threats in awe of his zen to Doocy and Kilmeade beefing over treatment of the FBI, also admiring Senator Tim Scott’s misunderstanding of the DOJ’s secrecy. Sam also walks through some bonus elements of Manchin’s Inflation Reduction Act, including why pretending taxing stock buybacks will do anything is a complete fool’s errand, walking through the corrupt history of stock buybacks that brought us here, and why a tax on repatriated profits is so necessary with US corporate wealth piling up overseas. After a discussion on Scotland's new policy providing free menstrual care supplies (all the infrastructure for which already exists in the US), they wrap up the first half with the story of the recent 160+ person walkout at Amazon’s San Bernardino, CA logistics hub, highlighting the importance of leveraging a company where it hurts especially when it’s as massive as Bezos’ child is.

And in the Fun Half: Doocy and Kilmeade beef, NC GOP Congressional candidate asks Brandon-haters to stop disparaging Banana Republics nationwide, Kate from the University of Iowa discusses how to cover far-right news, and Jeff from Columbus explores Tulsi Gabbard’s horrible past and Andrew Yang’s directionless future. The crew gets into the relationship between immigration and the cheap labor lobby, Kari Lake tiptoes to line up behind DeSantis, and Ronald Raygun dives into the Farm Work Modernization act. John from Kentucky discusses SCOTUS as an active political institution, plus, your calls and IMs!

Sam and Emma host Olufemi O. Taiwo, professor of philosophy at Georgetown University, to discuss his recent book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else). First, Sam touches on the successful passage of “Build Back– a bit” in the House, effective abortion bans in Idaho and Louisiana, Arizona’s attempts to finish Trump’s wall, and Brittany Griner’s appeal in Russia, before discussing Donald Trump’s magical declassification fingers and why that actually doesn’t matter when it comes to the espionage act. Then, he is joined by Professor Olufemi Taiwo as they first define what identity politics is, birthed from the work of the Combahee River Collective as a way to do politics starting from an understanding of one’s own place in the social world, before walking through the various critiques of IdPol across the spectrum, from the far right’s investment in the status quo and the center’s focus on [difference]-blind perspectives to a class reductionist’s particularism when it comes to social hierarchies. After parsing through how these critiques have developed across the spectrum, Professor Taiwo dives into his concept of “Deference Politics,” the understanding of how identity politics discourse in a capitalist society is then appropriated by and filtered through the ideologies of the elites at the top of various social hierarchies (be they production, military, or media) and thus slowly become a defining stance of the industry through deference to capital power. Next, Professor Taiwo walks through his critique of identity politics, exploring why a class reductionist understanding of how capitalism operates can still be aligned with understanding the systems (racism, transphobia, etc.) that capitalism props up, and why the latter element can often be necessary to inspire solidarity around the former’s movement. After a discussion on “targeted universalism” as a way to unify these two elements, Sam and Professor Taiwo wrap up the interview with a conversation on the breathtaking achievement of the US elites in shaping the “cancel culture” debate.

And in the Fun Half: Sam dives into the Right Wing’s excuses constantly collapsing in on themselves, as Kash Patel cries about Donald Trump’s declassification magic, Tulsi Gabbard asks why the FBI and IRS, now that they’ve gone after the elite (Donald Trump) who says they won’t punish those who don’t have any power… which of course never has happened before, and Rudi Giuliani ponders the dangers of criticizing bad people. Dr. Oz complains about the price of crudités under Joe Biden, Marjorie Taylor Greene rants about appliances and the Green New Deal, and Richard from California suggests some conversations on demographic changes. Kowalski expresses his disappointment with the USDA, Bro Flamingo discusses the state of the GOP as defined by voters, and Stephen from North Carolina discusses teaching at a Charter School. Plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Olufemi's book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1867-elite-capture

It's Casual Friday! Sam hosts David Dayen, executive editor at the American Prospect, to break down the week in news. Then, Sam is joined by Jordan Holmes and Dan Friesen, co-hosts of the Knowledge Fight podcast, to discuss the recent Alex Jones-Sandy Hook trial. First, Sam walks through Merrick Garland’s first impactful moment as Donald Trump put him front and center in the raid on Mar-a-Lago, also touching on today’s IRA vote in the House, the banning of gender-affirming care for ADULTS in Florida, and Europe seeing its worst drought in five centuries. David Dayen then joins as he and Sam discuss how Manchin’s Inflation Reduction Act impacts the US’ healthcare infrastructure, looking first at its changes to ACA and ARP exchange rates, before diving deep into its empowerment of Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and why it’s so important despite its limitation to 10 drugs per year, and not kicking until the next presidential election is over, meaning a Ron DeSantis or Donald J. Trump might be able to take credit for capped Medicare prices. Next, they move on to the Climate provisions of the IRA, with David walking through the positives we can take, including significant investment in domestic production in next-gen tech, particularly when it comes to EVs and batteries, before parsing through the myriad carrots that drive the bill’s policy, how it employs the tax code throughout all of this, and why this essentially deputizes the US Treasury to interpret out climate provisions. After expanding on the tax credits that come from EVs that don’t yet exist, they wrap up by taking on Manchin’s disastrous fossil fuel provisions, from wider-scale requirements to lease fossil fuel extraction before leasing any permits for building renewable energy sites, to literally just “let me build my pipeline.” Then, Dan Friesen and Jordan Holmes join as they reflect on the evolution of the Alex Jones Conspiratorial Multiverse, his slow shift to Televangelism, and how the roots of his income (beyond largely being fear-driven) are still obscured from even the most learned Info Warrior.

And in the Fun Half, Sam and the MR Crew dive into the the interesting push by Republicans in Congress to now all of a sudden hate the FBI. Steve Doocy has had just about enough of that, as he spars with Elise Stefanik and Steve Scalise over their inability to "back the blue" anymore now that they've raided Trump's home. Then they look at whether Brian Kilmeade's producers hate him or if they were really that dumb to accidentally put on screen a photoshopped image of a Florida judge on Jeffrey Epstein's body onboard the Lolita Express. Then, the MR universe gets a look behind the curtain as to what went down when Sam was able to mole his way onto the Dennis Prager Show (for approximately 5 seconds), and how, despite Prager's aching for it, he won't engage in spirited intellectual debate. Plus, your IM's!

Check out David's work at the Prospect here: https://prospect.org/topics/david-dayen/

Check out Knowledge Fight here: https://knowledgefight.com/

Emma hosts Dan Canon, civil rights lawyer and professor at the University of Louisville, to discuss his recent book Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class. Emma begins by running through the arrest of an Iranian citizen for planning an extrajudicial assassination attempt against John Bolton, extrajudicial assassination expert, and Rudy Giuliani assures the public that Donald Trump is actually happier and more secure than ever. Then she’s joined by Professor Dan Canon as he walks Emma through the history of the plea bargain – today the most common conclusion to a criminal case (97% end in guilty pleas) – and how we came to put so much discretion in the hands of judicial cops (prosecutors) to center our judicial system around efficiency. First, Professor Canon brings us back to the inception of the plea bargain in 1830s Massachusetts, with the industrial revolution seeing a massive influx of white male suffrage in the working class, resulting in the political elite immediately launching a concerted attack on the labor movement via massive and incredibly vague criminal statutes like vagrancy and drunk and disorderly, thus needing to prosecute these individuals with efficiency the Massachusetts legislature legitimized the plea bargain. This saw a rapid shift in the US judicial system, with plea bargains going from illegal and frowned upon, to making up well over 80% of cases in Massachusetts by 1880, and continuing to effectively null the concept of a “jury of one’s peers” well before those “peers” could include women or people of color. Next, Dan and Emma walk through how the US criminal system developed around the plea bargain over the next century, with federal involvement in criminal justice expanding massively during the prohibition era, and continuing in the wake of the 21st Amendment as the US government turned to the beginnings of the war on drugs, only for Nixon and Reagan to massively accelerate it a half-century later, all requiring US prosecutors to charge such mass numbers of people at an incredibly rapid speed, regardless of the context and content of their arrests. Wrapping up, they reflect on the role of union busting in creating the plea bargain, looking at how the US’ carceral state works to create this permanent criminal underclass, separated from society and isolated as individuals, before concluding with a discussion on the necessity of rebuilding our system as a whole, rather than reforming it bit by bit.

And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon Sutton as they take a tour of Mar-a-Lago’s lovely facilities, Crowder asks Kari Lake whether she, as governor of Arizona, would disband the FBI and IRS, and the crew debates DeSantis’ role in the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago. Matt from CT talks jury processes, and Brandon and Emma reflect on Howard Schulz, once Hillary’s potential NLRB nom, and his violent union busting coming back to bite him. Kilmeade calls out Biden for lowering inflation and also trying to continue to lower inflation, Matthais from New Jersey explores the privatization of public space in the wake of integration, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Dan's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/dan-canon/pleading-out/9781541674684/

Sam and Emma host Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox, to discuss her recent piece "How state governments are reimagining American public housing". Then, they are joined by Jessica Preheim, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Public Affairs at the Houston Coalition for the Homeless to discuss housing policy in the city.  First, Emma runs through yesterday’s primaries before diving right into updates from the FBI’s January 6th investigations, from the seizing of Scott Perry’s phone to the GOP’s responses to the Mar-a-Lago raid that vary from “they planted it!” to “they’re making it up!” but all seem to recognize an “it” that will be exposed. Then, she’s joined by Rachel Cohen as they dive into the state of public housing in the US, with rents reaching record highs and not coming down anytime soon, despite dropping inflation levels. Next, they step back and walk through the history of public housing in the US, with the Federal Government first becoming involved in the lead-up to the New Deal, even with private interests’ successful lobbying for limitations and, all continuing through the fifties and up to the creation of HUD, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, in the ‘60s, helping to regulate the federal policies around the matter – seeing a complete cutoff of investment in public housing alongside a subsidizing of white middle-class families moving to the suburbs. Wrapping up the history of US housing policy, they walk through the post-HUD neoliberal era, with the crime panic starting in the 1980s seeing a complete decimation of HUD’s budget, and leading into an era void of housing infrastructure. Next, Rachel looks to states like Massachusetts to explore how it seems to be local politics that is actually looking to intervene in this crisis, putting forwards policy that isn’t just subsidies for privatized housing, and actually seeks to reinvest in community care and infrastructure, before they wrap up by exploring the future of a reimagined housing system that stems from the states and local communities themselves. Then, Jessica Preheim from the Houston Coalition for the Homeless walks Emma through the incredibly remarkable work that the organization has done over the last decade in Houston, with homelessness decreasing by over 60% despite having the sixth largest homeless population as of 2011 and a crackdown from HUD. They explore how much the most marginalized in society can be helped by just having a roof over their head, the Houston Coalition’s tactics to strengthen communities’ ability to shelter their citizens (and the importance of supporting encampments’ existence when there is no other option) and their emphasis on chronic homelessness.

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a call from St. Paul on a public reserve, based on grain? Tulsi Gabbard teams up with Jesse Watters as she continues her streak of fascist apologia, this time in defense of Donald Trump and tax evaders everywhere, Stephanie from Minneapolis dives into the “manosphere” as a meeting point of the Jordan Peterson “intellectual” misogyny and the more traditional masculine aesthetics, looking at how race plays a particularly central role in the community’s pathologizing. They also cover Ilhan Omar’s incredibly narrow victory in the Democratic primary, AIPAC’s massive influence in pushing conservative Democrats into Congress, Fox and Friends ponders the FBI’s ethics for the very first time, and Nathaniel from Fresno dives deep into the re-emergence of book banning. Charlie Kirk calls for retributive raids, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Rachel's piece here: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23278643/affordable-public-housing-inflation-renters-home

Check out the Houston Coalition for the Homeless here: https://www.homelesshouston.org/

Sam and Emma host Dr. Leah Stokes, professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to discuss the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Emma and Sam walk through updates on the House’s schedule and Alex Jones’ texts arriving in the hands of the 1/6 Committee, before diving deep into Donald J. Trump’s response to the FBI’s raid on his Mar-a-Lago base, calling the warrant-backed infiltration “unprecedented”… just like Watergate! Then Dr. Leah Stokes joins as they jump right into the IRA, first tackling how the original Build Back Better bill sought to address climate change, exploring the carrot-tactic to lead us towards clean energy, from consumer-facing support or getting EVs, heat pumps, and other electricity-driven infrastructure to bolstering attempts to clean up our energy grids nationwide, all allowing everyday Americans to burn less fossil fuel and spend less money (in a manner that would specifically help tackle fossil-fuel-driven inflation). Next, they explore how the IRA takes that blueprint, and just dials it back a little, making it about 80% (rather than 90%) of the way to experts’ emission reduction goals, and cutting certain provisions on a civilian climate corp and e-bike infrastructure, before they walk through how the bill encourages healthy labor practices, and – while falling short of actually encouraging unionization – is a bill largely backed by unions nation-wide. They wrap up the interview by tackling Manchin’s personal provisions, particularly around leasing, and what to expect from his side-car bill coming soon.

And in the Fun Half, the MR Crew dives into the (politely) manic reactions from the conservative media wasteland to the Mar-A-Lago raid, from Eric Trump bypassing the Kennedy family entirely via the use of "arrows" to describe how betrayed his family is, Jesse Watters and Buck Sexton evoking Julius Caesar, Florida's Attorney general's "They weren't flushing DRUGS down the toilet!" defense, Marjorie Taylor Greene going full-Defund, Bernie Kerik worrying for Trump's life, and, of course, it wouldn't be a meltdown if Rudy Giuliani wasn't beaming in from an undisclosed, terribly lit location, to yell about the unfair treatment of his favorite guy (of course he's speaking with Steven Crowder about this). Brandon Straka Walks Away...straight into a fake jail cell at CPAC, and JD Vance is paid a visit by the Good Liars. Plus, your calls and IM's!

Follow Leah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/leahstokes

Sam and Emma host Jake Grumbach, professor at the University of Washington, to discuss his recent book Laboratories Against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics. First, Emma and Sam tackle the successful passing of Biden’s Build-Back-a-Bit, filled to the brim with goodies for the fossil fuel industry as a ransom tradeoff for even thinking about a green transition, and run through the punitive damages ordered against Alex Jones in the wake of his libel trial. Then, they’re joined by Professor Jacob Grumbach as he dives right into his book the inspiration he took from Louis Brandeis’ concept of federalism as “Laboratories of Democracy,” bringing it into a modern assessment of the relationship between US Federalism and Democracy. Next, he walks Sam and Emma back to the formation of US Federalism in the wake of the US Revolution as a compromise between a political structure that emphasizes national unity for strength and one centered around preventing tyranny through state autonomy (aka allowing for the continuation of the industry of slavery), leading up to Brandeis’ arrival on the Supreme Court in 1916 and his assessment of the ideal of federalism. They then work through what changed over the fifty years since 1970, with the nationalization (and centralization) of everything from corporate and social media (including the disappearance of local news) to political fundraising and interest groups, all while the national parties coalesced around their corporate leaders, unifying internally while polarization grew. This gave birth to a radicalism pipeline for the Right, starting with mass messaging on the level of national media and the party apparatus and trickling down to the footsoldiers of state implementation (as seen, particularly, with the recent fights over CRT). Next, Professor Grumbach walks through the various crises of 2020 that brought to the forefront the failures of our federalist system, including the COVID pandemic, the backlash (and backlash to the backlash) to the murder of George Floyd, and the wider crisis of democracy, discussing how it shined a light on the inefficiency of a decentralized public health system, the paradox of Governor and Mayoral power being trumped by their police departments, and more. They wrap up the interview by tackling the anomalies of Brandeis’ post-war era, in terms of economic compression and political de-polarization, and diving into the necessary importance of large-scale organizations in helping us situate ourselves within these massive political systems, and how the right already capitalizes on it.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Sam dive into Brett Kavanaugh’s expertise in avoiding accountability, from his severe debt that just happened to disappear in the run-up to his nomination to the recent revelation that Trump’s White House covered up over 4,000 tips on Kavanaugh’s sexual assault allegations. JR from Philly helps us parse through where the hell Alex Jones’ money came flowing in from, Rick Scott is pressed on support for Masters and Walker, and Kim Crockett asks if we can just eliminate voting for disabled folks as a treat. Aaron Rodgers can’t take a jab – physical or comedic – Kowalski from Nebraska talks climate change and labor, Spencer from Minnesota gives some primary previews, and Robert from Rochester discusses the Right giving up the game with their “wage-driven inflation” rhetoric. Mike from Rhode Island talks midterms, plus, your calls, and IMs!

Check out Jake's book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691218458/laboratories-against-democracy

It's Casual Friday! Emma hosts Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, to round up the week in news. Emma first discusses Sinema’s role at the front and center of Biden’s agenda, finally agreeing to the Manchin-Schumer “Inflation Reduction Act” provided they eliminate their carried interest tweaks, before also covering the booming employment rate, charges being brought against the officers involved in the coverup of Breonna Taylor’s murder, and China’s initiation of sanctions against Pelosi. Then, Ryan Cooper joins as he and Emma dive deep into an extended conversation on Sinema’s role in the IRA-2022, covering the beautiful bate and switch by Chuck Schumer (almost like he’s been a senator as long as I’ve been alive!) and Joe Manchin, getting the CHIPS act passed along the way, and forcing the GOP into digging their own grave by trying to put a stop to veteran victims of burn pits getting healthcare. Expanding on this, Cooper explores McConnell’s behind-the-scenes freak-out regarding the legislative rug that was once under his feet but is no longer, before turning to the role of figures like John Stewart in putting the burn pit story front and center, and getting even organizations like Newsmax to put the GOP on the spot, particularly as the fight for abortion already had their feet held up to the fire. This brings them to the topic of the midterms, as they cover the importance of candidates like Fetterman especially as the GOP, even in the most purple of states, continues to advance their fascistic agenda of minoritarian and theocratic rule, before they wrap up the interview by tackling the tensions behind Pelosi’s visit to China, and the future of American liberals’ imperialist war hawkery.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and the crew cover Crowder’s coping with conservative cognitive dissonance (the only solution being, of course, to retreat to your prior convictions), Tucker’s embarrassing attempt at taking on Jon Stewart, and Stewart’s lovely response that reflects the intimacy of their relationship. They also discuss Dick Cheney passing the baton of “greatest threat to the American republic” to Donald Trump, Fox’s continued infatuation with AOC, and Victor Orbán, notorious covid authoritarian, appears at CPAC to call for fewer drag queens and more Chuck Norrises.

Check out Ryan's work here: https://prospect.org/topics/ryan-cooper/

Sam and Emma host Moustafa Bayoumi, columnist at the Guardian, to discuss his recent piece in The Nation, "Journey to Guantánamo: A Week in America's Notorious Penal Colony". Then, Sam and Emma are joined by writer Jacob Silverman to discuss his recent piece in the New Republic "The CEO Trying to Build a White, Christian, Secessionist Tech Industry". Then, Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor in New York, joins Sam and Emma for a spirited debate! First, Emma and Sam dive into the results from yesterday’s primaries, including ERIC and Trudy Busch Valentine coming out on top in Missouri, AIPAC’s victory over progressive jew Andy Levin, and they dive deep into the absolutely beautiful and historic victory for reproductive rights in Kansas and the US writ large. Moustafa Bayoumi then gets right into the people imprisoned in the penal colony of Guantanamo Bay, walking through who is there, how long they’ve been there, who has yet to face trial, and who remains imprisoned despite serving the length of the sentence, before he gets into the topic of why he wrote this piece, from the rarity of being allowed visitation to the simple importance of keeping these human rights abuses and the war on terror in our social consciousness. Next, he walks Sam and Emma through a quick history of Guantanamo, beginning with the US’ takeover of Cuba in 1898, establishing the Gitmo naval base in 1903, and employing it as the first of countless overseas military islands of the US Imperial archipelago, a role it continued for almost a century until the Presidency of George W. Bush. From here, they walk through the last decade and a half of Gitmo, its role as a shield against CIA accountability, and why Obama’s pledge to shut it down failed, before they wrap up by disclosing the clear role the CIA still plays in the facilities, walking through the future for its detainees, and why the prisoners still prefer Gitmo to US Supermax Prisons. Then, Jacob Silverman jumps right into Andrew Torba’s fight to build a white Christian secessionist sector of the tech industry, from his creation of the free-speech twitter-ripoff that is Gab (to be followed by Parlor and Truth Social) to his role as a political consultant for the right, as they walk through the role these sites want to play in the world of social media, where they go wrong, and what the future of their role in political discourse might be.

And in the Fun Half: Sam hosts a debate with Libertarian candidate for Governor of New York Larry Sharpe, covering a massive range of topics, starting with the New York state laws that make it effectively impossible for third parties to make it on the ballot, and what Sharpe’s big tent libertarianism entails. They also work their way through the topics of abortion (and creating an environment for women to make easier choices), education reform (putting lots of trust in private enterprise), and wrap up with a conversation on healthcare and Sharpe’s issues with Medicare for All. Plus, your IMs!

Check out Moustafa's piece here: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/guantanamo-bay-detention-visit/

Check out Jacob's piece here: https://newrepublic.com/article/163285/andrew-torba-gab-white-christian-internet

Sam and Emma host David Gelles, climate reporter for the New York Times, to discuss his recent book The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America-and How to Undo His Legacy. First, Sam and Emma dive into the role of the Dobbs decision in getting out the vote for Democrats, Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, DeSantis’ attacks on restaurants hosting queer events, and Bill Cassidy says he’ll vote for the Veteran healthcare bill when it’s going to pass (which, of course, would be helped by his vote). Then, they’re joined by David Gelles as he dives right into why he took an interest in Jack Welch after interviewing hundreds of CEOs that all tied back to his influence, with the straw that broke the back being his discovery of Welch’s proteges in the financialization of Boeing in the lead up to their multi-crash fiasco in the 2010s. Next, he dives into a history of Welch and GE, the latter which served as the pinnacle of welfare capitalism up until the former’s takeover at the start of the ‘80s, beginning with how his arrival as CEO brought in a framework of economics built on the back of Milton Friedman and incentivized by one Ronald Reagan. Sam, Emma, and David then dive into the capitalist revolution that Jack Welch oversaw, moving the industrial emphasis from holistic production to efficient production, emphasizing outsourcing for cheaper labor and financialization that put a focus on filling the pockets of shareholders and executives, before expanding on the greater cultural changes, including a shift away from the industrial production GE was known for to a constantly churning and diversified portfolio – from media to crediting and subprime mortgages – that effectively turned the company into a deregulated bank, and the move towards efficiency in the workplace that began to kill the innovation that had defined their role in US production. After a quick discussion on how Welch went out of his way to engage with unionized labor, Gelles dives into Welch’s influence on Boeing (and the rest of the neoliberal world), the role of media and media control in this economic revolution, and the failure of neoliberal governments to actually reign in capitalism via regulations. They wrap up the interview by diving into what needs to change to move away from Welch’s vision for American profits, and the role of Capitalism as inherently contributing to this issue.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the disaster in Kentucky and the stupidity of red state/blue state culture, discuss Roger Stone and Matt Gaetz’s ever subtle discussion about “the boss” making sure they didn’t “do time” (who knows what that could be about), and discuss Lucas Kunce’s opponent’s local fundraising tactic: take from your own bank account! Joe Manchin gets on Meet the Press and does a pretty little dance around actually supporting his party, the Good Liars crash the burial sight of Ivanna Trump (horrifying!), and Bro Flamingo dives into employment and the economy. Sam from Oregon discusses disagreement and denouncement on the left, Justin from Chicago thanks twerking for his politics, and Sophia from Atlanta dives into the impact of Georgia’s “Guns Everywhere” law on the presence of non-murder-affiliated activity in the region. They also touch on DeSantis relying on a 1947 ruling to punish a restaurant throwing community drag events, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out David's book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Man-Who-Broke-Capitalism/David-Gelles/9781982176440