Air Date: 11/11/2026

Today we look at billionaires, wealth inequality, money in politics, and what happens to a society when those things get far out of whack. Outside spending on our elections has grown roughly 12-fold since 2008, and the same concentrated wealth that buys elections leaves governments answering to the ultra-wealthy while everyone else struggles with rising prices. That insecurity is the precise recipe that makes authoritarianism look viable. The last time inequality was this extreme was the Roaring Twenties, and what followed the crash was the New Deal era of steep taxes on the rich that built a healthy middle class for decades. We're due for a reset.

Watch: Wealth Inequality in America (Updated 2026)

Books from this episode (affiliate links: buying through them supports the show):

This week's guests discuss their new books:

Country of Lords by Kim Phillips-Fein: print at Bookshop.org · audiobook at Libro.fm

Anti-Fascist Economics by Isabella Weber: print at Bookshop.org · audiobook at Libro.fm

End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor: print at Bookshop.org · audiobook at Libro.fm

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: "When the Bubble Bursts" Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor on Reclaiming Democracy From AI Oligarchs Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-21-26

KP 2: The US Tradition of Inequality with Kim Phillips-Fein Part 1 - Behind the News - Air Date 7-16-26

KP 3: Apocalypse Now Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Investigate the End-Timers Alliance Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 9-18-26

KP 4: Why California's Billionaire Tax Is Crucial Dave Regan Part 1 - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 10-21-26

KP 5: Apocalypse Now Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Investigate the End-Timers Alliance Part 2 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 9-18-26

KP 6: Kim Phillips-Fein on the Anti-Egalitarian Strain in American Culture and Politics Part 1 - LARB Radio Hour - Air Date 7-24-26

KP 7: Anti-Fascist Economics (with Isabella Weber) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 10-20-26

(01:00:48) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My commentaries on YouTube - Share them!

DEEPER DIVES

(01:12:27) SECTION A: HOW THE LORDS JUSTIFY THEMSELVES

A1: The Long Struggle Against Equality in America (with Kim Phillips-Fein) Part 1 - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 8-24-26

A2: The US Tradition of Inequality with Kim Phillips-Fein Part 2 - Behind the News - Air Date 7-16-26

A3: Anti-Fascist Economics with Isabella Weber Fighting Fascism Part 1 - The Nation Podcasts - Air Date 10-19-26

A4: The Long Struggle Against Equality in America (with Kim Phillips-Fein) Part 2 - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 8-24-26

(01:48:52) SECTION B: HOW INSECURITY BREEDS FASCISM

B1: Anti-Fascist Economics with Isabella Weber Part 1 - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 10-28-26

B2: Authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on How to Resist End Times Fascism Part 1 - KQED's Forum - Air Date 9-22-26

B3: Anti-Fascist Economics with Isabella Weber Part 2 - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 10-28-26

B4: "When the Bubble Bursts" Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor on Reclaiming Democracy From AI Oligarchs Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-21-26

(02:27:05) SECTION C: TAXING AND TAMING EXTREME WEALTH

C1: Californians Are Voting on a Billionaires Tax - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 10-23-26

C2: A Wealth Tax on Billionaires California Voters to Decide on Prop 40 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-20-26

C3: In Conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Part 1 - The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich - Air Date 9-25-26

C4: Why California's Billionaire Tax Is Crucial Dave Regan Part 2 - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 10-21-26

(02:50:52) SECTION D: WHAT COMES NEXT, ESSENTIALS AND HERE-NESS

D1: Authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on How to Resist End Times Fascism Part 2 - KQED's Forum - Air Date 9-22-26

D2: In Conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor Part 2 - The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich - Air Date 9-25-26

D3: Kim Phillips-Fein on the Anti-Egalitarian Strain in American Culture and Politics Part 2 - LARB Radio Hour - Air Date 7-24-26

D4: Anti-Fascist Economics with Isabella Weber Fighting Fascism Part 2 - The Nation Podcasts - Air Date 10-19-26

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Air Date: 11/4/2026

Israel was formed to create a safe haven for Jews in the wake of World War II, an admirable goal. Since then, there have been major wars every decade, terrorist attacks, and Netanyahu has been warning about Iran getting a nuclear weapon since 1992. There were prominent Jews at the time, including Albert Einstein, who saw all of this coming and warned against the creation of a Jewish state with borders and an army, because they feared exactly what has come to pass because of the peril it would put Jews in and the damage that Jewish nationalism would do to the Jewish faith. The tragedy of Israel is that those warnings were not heeded and then that this perspective was effectively removed from the discussion entirely, making the path to true safety for Jews and everyone else, essentially invisible. We're exploring that history and those perspectives today.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Olive Harvesters Part 1 - Newshour - Air Date 10-16-26

KP 2: "Origins of a Genocide"Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishara on "Twelve Days That Shook the Middle East" Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date

KP 3: Mahmoud Khalil We Cant Afford to Stay Silent Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 10-2-26

KP 4: Arendt on Zionism Part 1 - Against the Grain - Air Date 11-7-23

KP 5: Destruction of the Jewish Bund with Molly Crabapple Part 1 - The Dig - Air Date 8-14-26

KP 6: Gaza Has Exposed the Hypocrisy of the West with Omar El Akkad Part 1 - Downstream - Air Date 10-18-26

(00:53:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

In 1948 There Were Two Answers to Keeping Jews Safe

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:09:19) SECTION A: THE JEWISH CASE AGAINST ZIONISM

A1: Republicans Palpable Panic; The Jewish History Of Anti-Zionism with Benjamin Moser Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 9-28-26

A2: Anti-Zionism, A Jewish History Benjamin Moser with Rashid Khalidi Part 1 - The New York Public Library - Air Date 9-22-26

A3: Republicans Palpable Panic; The Jewish History Of Anti-Zionism with Benjamin Moser Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 9-28-26

A4: Anti-Zionism, A Jewish History Benjamin Moser with Rashid Khalidi Part 2 - The New York Public Library - Air Date 9-22-26

A5: Arendt on Zionism Part 2 - Against the Grain - Air Date 11-7-23

(01:55:41) SECTION B: THE BUND AND THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

B1: The History of the Jewish Bund with Molly Crabapple Part 1 - American Prestige - Air Date 8-12-26

B2: Here Where We Live Is Our Country Part 1 - On the Nose - Air Date 7-23-26

B3: Destruction of the Jewish Bund with Molly Crabapple Part 2 - The Dig - Air Date 8-14-26

B4: The History of the Jewish Bund with Molly Crabapple Part 2 - American Prestige - Air Date 8-12-26

B5: Here Where We Live Is Our Country Part 2 - On the Nose - Air Date 7-23-26

(02:39:03) SECTION C: INSIDE ISRAEL, FROM THE WEST BANK TO THE BALLOT BOX

C1: Israels Election Wont End the Genocide Part 1 - Current Affairs - Air Date 10-16-26

C2: Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Olive Harvesters Part 2 - Newshour - Air Date 10-16-26

C3: Israels Election Wont End the Genocide Part 2 - Current Affairs - Air Date 10-16-26

(03:00:21) SECTION D: COMPLICITY, CRACKDOWN, AND REFUSAL

D1: "Origins of a Genocide"Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishara on "Twelve Days That Shook the Middle East" Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-7-26

D2: News Brief 2028, Israel's Progressive Rebrand and the Risk of Genocide as Rhetorical Box Check Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 10-6-26

D3: Mahmoud Khalils 104 Days in ICE Detention Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 9-29-26

D4: News Brief 2028, Israel's Progressive Rebrand and the Risk of Genocide as Rhetorical Box Check Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 10-6-26

D5: Mahmoud Khalil We Cant Afford to Stay Silent Part 2 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 10-2-26

D6: Gaza Has Exposed the Hypocrisy of the West with Omar El Akkad Part 2 - Downstream - Air Date 10-18-26

D7: Mahmoud Khalils 104 Days in ICE Detention Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 9-29-26

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Air Date: 10/30/2026

Today we look at the midterm machinery. The administration's attempts to mess with the election continually lose in court, but the tampering attempts will keep coming: whose ballots get thrown out, which winners get certified, who ultimately gets seated. Voting too big to rig, early and in overwhelming numbers, is only the beginning, followed by people being ready to show up and protect the count.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Republicans Should Have to Answer for Elon Musk - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-26-26

KP 2: Polarization Is Not Our Biggest Problem - On the Media - Air Date 10-9-26

KP 3: Can Trump Deport Ilhan Omar? - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-21-26

KP 4: The Republican Party & The Far Right - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Air Date 10-25-26

KP 5: EXCLUSIVE: 'No Kings' Demands Meta Explain Instagram Suspension - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-19-26

KP 6: What the Elections in Brazil and Serbia Don't Mean for Us - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 10-26-26

(00:54:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Progressive Left Was Right About Trump's Authoritarianism

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:58:09) SECTION A: RIGGING THE COUNT AND FIGHTING BACK

A1: Trump Says He Ordered Suit to Block Alaska Senate Results if GOP Loses - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 10-23-26

A2: What Marc Elias Says Trump Is Really up to with Bogus Alaska Lawsuit - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 10-24-26

A3: BUCKLE UP: National Security Officials Secretly Preparing for Post-Election "Contingencies" - The Humanist Report - Air Date 10-22-26

A4: Trump Launched Test Run To HACK Voting Machines? - Status Coup News - Air Date 10-21-26

A5: Polling, Vote Flipping, Mail Ballot Rejections, Trump's DOJ and Other Late Threats to the Midterms - The BradCast W/ Brad Friedman - Air Date 10-22-26

(01:35:44) SECTION B: THE GOP RADICALIZED

B1: Well...what if They Are Actually Nazis? - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-14-26

B2: A.M. Homes', The Unfolding of an American Democracy - Absent Any Consensus on What Is Real and True, All Bets Are Sort of Off - Laura Flanders and Friends: Solutions-Focused Progressive Perspectives on Politics, News, and Culture - Air Date 10-17-26

B3: Donald Trump Is Doing Everything He Can to Drive the GOP Off a Cliff - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-23-26

B4: Stupid Democrats, Evil Republicans and the Future King of America - UNFTR Media - Air Date 10-20-26

B5: JD Vance's Town Hall Was a Disaster - Some More News - Air Date 10-20-26

(02:16:04) SECTION C: ON THE BALLOT - CANDIDATES AND RACES

C1: Trump Believes THOUSANDS Vote Illegally: They Charged 28 People - What A Day - Air Date 10-22-26

C2: Charles Blow Challenges Double Standards in Scrutiny of Abdul El-Sayed - CNN - Air Date 10-24-26

C3: Ohio Governor's Race: Trump Backs Ramaswamy Ad Siding with Opponent's Indicted Childhood Rapist - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-23-26

C4: Trump DOJ Accidentally EXPOSES Republican ELECTION FRAUD?!?! - Legal AF - Air Date 10-21-26

C5: Claims of Vote-switching in FL, TN and GA. Here's the Truth. - Parkrose Resistance - Air Date 10-22-26

(02:51:39) SECTION D: WHAT THIS ELECTION IS ACTUALLY ABOUT

D1: Questions About American Democracy and the Midterms on a Friday Morning - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 10-23-26

D2: Prediction Markets Have a Lock on the Midterms - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 10-9-26

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Air Date: 10/27/2026

The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on the news from September and October without being overwhelming! Organized around a single idea: when something goes wrong, follow where the blame lands. Republicans staged a hearing over Anthony Fauci's diary while a food-borne parasite sickened more than 1,500 people after the Trump administration gutted the systems that track outbreaks. Housing costs get pinned on rent control, and the paperwork of being poor eats hours the wealthy pay someone else to spend. Meanwhile Boulder, Colorado is taking Exxon to court over what the company knew about climate change fifty years ago. The mix closes with the people organizing to protect the midterms and with what Occupy Wall Street left behind.

Covering: September–October 2026

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SECTION 1: THEY KNEW

(00:01:45) #1827 - Deep Cuts: Exxon Knew - The History Behind the Case to Make Polluters Pay

1: Trump's Big Oil Case Heads to the Supreme Court - What A Day - Air Date 3-16-26

2: The Fight for Fossil Fuel Industry Accountability: Understanding Suncor V. Boulder Part 1 - Center for Progressive Reform - Air Date 9-3-26

3: What's Suncor V. Boulder? And Why Does It Matter to Climate Progress? - Covering Climate Now - Air Date 9-23-26

(00:25:05) #1824 - The Next Gilded Age: AI Doomsday and the Insatiable Business Model

4: The AI Bubble Is Bigger And More Dangerous Than You Think Part 1 - The Tea with Myriam François - Air Date 9-11-26

5: You Don't Hate AI Enough. - Nash Keune - Air Date 9-20-26

6: The 'End Times Fascists' of AI - Blood in the Machine - Air Date 9-13-26

SECTION 2: SENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS

(00:53:41) #1829 - Poverty Is Hard on Purpose in America and We All Pay the Time Tax

7: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of Affordability Politics Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 6-17-26

8: The Time Cost of Bureaucracy Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-28-26

9: Merchants of Death The Men Who Killed Healthcare in America. Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 9-4-26

(01:17:56) #1826 - The Mechanics of Complicity from Nazis to Newsrooms to Fandoms

10: I Quit My Job Because of Harry Potter Part 1 - Hoots Hootman - Air Date 9-26-26

11: UK Sanctions Israeli Settlers. A Breakthrough Or A Cop-Out? - Owen Jones - Air Date 9-8-26

12: Why Centrists and Ezra Klein Are Ruining Everything - Benaminute - Air Date 11-21-25

SECTION 3: SHOW TRIALS AND REAL ONES

(01:43:37) #1820 - Science and Public Health Under Attack by Our Own Government

13: Fauci Takes the 5th Amendment While MAGA Cracks His Diary Open & Calls Him Hitler - The Daily Show - Air Date 7-30-26

14: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26

15: We Need to Accept That We Elected an Actual Madman to Be President - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-11-26

(02:05:20) #1822 - The State Media Playbook: The FCC and Billionaires Are Waging a War on the Free Press

16: "Profoundly Corrupt": Trump Sued for Selling Early Access to His Truth Social Posts for $100K/Month - Democracy Now! - Air Date - 8-19-26

17: Trump's "Authoritarian Takeover" of the Media, ABC Suing FCC & the Meta Trial: Free Press's Jessica González - Air Date 8-19-26

18: Coyote Vs. Acme Proves the CEOs Don't Know S***. - Adam Conover - Air Date 9-4-26

SECTION 4: WHERE ANSWERING STILL HAPPENS

(02:27:22) #1821 - Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms

19: President Trump Is Trying to Change How Elections Are Run. Where Do Things Stand - Consider This - Air Date 8-28-26

20: Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms - The BradCast - Air Date 8-27-26

21: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26

(02:50:29) #1825 - We Are Still the 99%: Occupy Wall Street's Unfinished Business, 15 Years Later

22: The Long Fight Against Equality in the United States with Kim Phillips-Fein Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 9-3-26

23: We Are the 99 - 15 Years Later, Occupy Wall Street's Impact Is Still Being Felt Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-18-26

24: Episode 6 You Can't Evict an Idea Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 8-13-26

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Air Date: 10/23/2026

Today we look at the women's sports boom as a power story and explain how women's sports were held back on purpose, from England banning women's soccer for fifty years to colleges spending next to nothing on their women's teams, primarily because the men feared the competition.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: The Boom in Women's Sports: WNBA, NWSL & Brands Following the Money - Women's Sports Now - Air Date 8-17-26

KP 2: Why the WNBA Became a Battleground in America's Culture Wars - Political Breakdown - Air Date 8-21-26

KP 3: Why Trans Women Have a Place in the WNBA - Everyone Watches Women's Sports Pod and Togethxr - Air Date 8-16-26

KP 4: Equal Pay in the WNBA Ft. Aliyah Boston, Alysha Clark, and Terri Carmichael Jackson - Hearsay - Air Date 8-28-24

KP 5: Why Ashlyn Harris REALLY Walked Away From Soccer - Women's Sports Now - Air Date 6-17-26

KP 6: Title IX Trailblazers Part 1 - Torched with Molly Bloom - Air Date 9-6-22

KP 7: Celebrating the New WNBA CBA and Examining Its Leaguewide Cultural Ramifications - The Ringer WNBA Show - Air Date 3-18-26

(00:54:05) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:15:37) SECTION A: FOLLOW THE MONEY, FOLLOW THE BOOM

A1: WNBA Valuations EXPLODE 💰 Up 59%… "This Isn't Charity, It's BUSINESS" - Chiney Today - Air Date 5-1-26

A2: How NIL Deals and Sponsorships Are Transforming Women's Sports - Women's Sports Now - Air Date 5-29-25

A3: Sarah Spain On the Evolution of Women's Sports Coverage - Front Office Sports - Air Date 5-16-25

A4: Everyone Watches Women's Sports - The Varsity - Air Date 4-16-25

A5: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme The Basketball with Betsy Riley - Good Game with Sarah Spain - Air Date 10-13-26

(01:53:40) SECTION B: THE CULTURE WAR, THE BACKLASH, AND WHO GETS CALLED A THREAT

B1: The WNBA, Past and Present and Irish Sport for Palestine - Edge of Sports - Air Date 10-7-26

B2: The Caitlin Clark Effect with Sarah Spain - Here We Go Again With Kal Penn - Air Date 2-3-26

(02:14:40) SECTION C: THE CBA FIGHT - LABOR, PAY, AND POWER INSIDE THE W

C1: The WNBA's Business Revolution: Lexie Brown and Mariah Rose on What Comes Next - Adspeak - Air Date 10-15-26

C2: WNBA CBA Deadline Drama: Emma Baccellieri and Lindsay Break Down the Labor Fight - Burn It All Down - Air Date 3-1-26

(02:30:50) SECTION D: HOW WE GOT HERE - TITLE IX, BARRIERS, AND BUILDING NEW LEAGUES

D1: Title IX Trailblazers Part 2 - Torched with Molly Bloom - Air Date 9-6-22

D2: Title IX Discrimination and Women's Sports - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 10-1-26

D3: Why Women's Sports Are Reaching New Heights in Popularity and Revenue - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-7-24

D4: Closing the Coaching Gap: Pam Baker's Mission to Empower Young Women - Women's Sports Now - Air Date 8-25-26

D5: Megan Rapinoe & Emma Hayes on Why Women's Soccer Isn't Just the Men's Game - A Touch More: The Podcast - Air Date 6-18-26

D6: Inside the WPBL's First Season and How We Got Here - Just Women's Sports - Air Date 8-26-26

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Publish Date: 10/22/2026 Original Air Date: 4/6/2018

Today we look back to the spring of 2018, when a conservative listener called in looking for common ground on guns and we answered her point by point: the research on defensive gun use, who gets to be the good guy with a gun, what the Second Amendment was written to do, and the policies most Americans, gun owners included, already support. After the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, every one of those questions is back.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Listener Voicemail - Looking for common ground on gun control - Caitlin

Ch. 2: Jennifer Carlson on race and gun culture - The Ezra Klein Show - Air Date 3-12-18

Ch. 3: Second amendment redefinition a fraud on the American people - Bradcast - Air Date 3-27-18

Ch. 4: The myth of defensive gun ownership Part 1 - Science VS

Ch. 5: The myth of defensive gun ownership - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 2-3-15

Ch. 6: The myth of defensive gun ownership Part 2 - Science VS

Ch. 7: Gun Control will Not Cure a Society that Produces Monstrous Behavior - The Real News Network - Air Date 2-24-18

Ch. 8: Danger of guns to women - Progressive Faith Sermons with Rev. Dr. Ray - Air Date 10-8-17

Ch. 9: The homicide rate with guns present, especially against women - Science VS

Ch. 10: Prevalence of guns results in more gun deaths and laws do work - Speak Out with Tim Wise - Air Date 2-20-18

Ch. 11: The Gun Policies Americans Agree On - On the Media - Air Date 1-8-16

Ch. 12: Does It Matter What You Think About Gun Policy? - On the Media - Air Date 1-8-16

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Air Date: 10/17/2026

Today we look at how being poor in America is made harder on purpose. The hours of paperwork it takes to keep food assistance or Medicaid are there to shrink the programs quietly by attrition and make failure feel like a personal problem. The same design runs through a healthcare system that profits when care is denied and the patient doesn't have the time to fight back. The alternative is the kind of program you'd design if you thought everyone living in a wealthy society was worthy of a dignified life.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: The Time Cost of Bureaucracy Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-28-26

KP 2: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of Affordability Politics Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 6-17-26

KP 3: No One Can Escape The Time Tax Part 1 - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-26

KP 4: The $29 Trillion Social Security Crisis We Already Know How to Fix ( with Rey Fuentes) Part 1 - Pitchfork Economics - Air Date 9-8-26

KP 5: The Time Cost of Bureaucracy Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-28-26

KP 6: Merchants of Death The Men Who Killed Healthcare in America. Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 9-4-26

(00:52:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the Launch of Our Social Media System

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:58:24) SECTION A: SOCIAL INSURANCE AND WORKER PROTECTIONS

A1: The New Deal - Everything Everywhere Daily - Air Date 10-9-26

A2: Terri Gerstein on Gig Workers Rights Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-9-26

A3: The $29 Trillion Social Security Crisis We Already Know How to Fix ( with Rey Fuentes) Part 2 - Pitchfork Economics - Air Date 9-8-26

A4: Terri Gerstein on Gig Workers Rights Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-9-26

(01:32:26) SECTION B: THE TIME TAX AND BURDEN BY DESIGN

B1: How the Government Wastes Our Time Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-31-26

B2: No One Can Escape The Time Tax Part 2 - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-26

B3: How the Government Wastes Our Time Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-31-26

(01:57:46) SECTION C: HEALTH CARE UNDER ATTACK

C1: The Cost of Drugs From Canada Is Set to Soar for Millions of Americans - CBS Pittsburgh - Air Date 10-8-26

C2: Merchants of Death The Men Who Killed Healthcare in America. Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 9-4-26

C3: Hidden Cuts to Health Care - Letters From An American - Air Date 8-20-26

(02:23:21) SECTION D: AFFORDABILITY POLITICS AND THE RISING LEFT

D1: Raina Lipsitz on DSA Politics Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-25-26

D2: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of Affordability Politics Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 6-17-26

D3: Raina Lipsitz on DSA Politics Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-25-26

D4: El-Sayed Affordability Crisis Is Destroying Dreams - The Moment - Air Date 8-28-26

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Air Date: 10/13/2026

Today we look at rape culture as a system that contains far more than the crimes. This topic was prompted by the Cornell 7 story but it starts with little boys annoying girls and having it excused as affection, runs through the "nice guy" who treats kindness as a down payment, and ends with the false claim that men can't be expected to control their sexual urges. We're organizing the episode a little differently than normal, with the material everyone should hear in the first hour and the deeper dives being reserved for that which men particularly need to face but that assault victims may want to skip.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: It's Not About Sex: How Rape Culture Actually Works - Therese - Air Date 10-7-26

KP 2: AOC on the Campus Sexual Assault Factory - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 9-30-26 (Excerpt)

KP 3: Is It True That Men Can't Control Themselves Sexually? Consequences Vs. Temptations - Huey Li and the News - Air Date 10-5-26 (Excerpt)

KP 4: The Cornell 7: What Really Happened in Those 19 Days? - Therese - Air Date 10-3-26

KP 5: LSU Finds Student Responsible For Sexual Assault & DOESN'T CHARGE HIM - Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey - Air Date 9-28-26

KP 6: Turns Out The "Nice Guy" Is Actually TERRIFYING... Marina McBain - Air Date 6-6-26

KP 7: Jacob Geller, Cornell & the Future We Save for Men Part 1 - Jessie Gender - Air Date 10-7-26

KP 8: Men Scare Me and Good Men Make Excuses - Kat Blaque - Air Date 10-3-26 (Excerpt)

KP 9: Jacob Geller, Cornell & the Future We Save for Men Part 2 - Jessie Gender - Air Date 10-7-26 (Excerpt)

(01:04:10) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Blaming Assault on Men's Lack of Self-Control Is Toddler Logic

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:14:34) SECTION A: WHAT BOYS ARE TAUGHT ABOUT BEING MEN

A1: Why Do Men Struggle with Empathy: The Problem of Transactional Relationships - Expatriarch - Air Date 11-5-24

A2: The Complicity of Geek Masculinity on the Big Bang Theory - Pop Culture Detective - Air Date 9-29-17

A3: Why Every Character in Obsession Failed Nikki - Kimbaland - Air Date 6-27-26

A4: The Problem With Porn - Breaking Down Patriarchy - Air Date 10-2-26

A5: Dulce Sloan: Will You Be My Valentine? - What Now? With Trevor Noah - Air Date 2-14-26

(01:54:33) SECTION B: HOW RAPE CULTURE IS BUILT AND WHO IT PROTECTS

B1: What Is Rape Culture? - Do You Really Know? - Air Date 8-19-26

B2: Alisa Kessel, "Rape Fantasies: Rape Culture and the Persistence of Sexual Violence" Part 1 - New Books in Political Science - Air Date 4-16-26

B3: Is It True That Men Can't Control Themselves Sexually? Consequences Vs. Temptations - Huey Li and the News - Air Date 10-5-26

B4: Alisa Kessel, "Rape Fantasies: Rape Culture and the Persistence of Sexual Violence" Part 2 - New Books in Political Science - Air Date 4-16-26

B5: Should Women Share the Blame for R**e Culture? Not the Way They're Normally Blamed - Huey Li and the News - Air Date 10-5-26

(02:28:37) SECTION C: THE CORNELL AND LSU RECORDS AND THE APOLOGISTS

C1: The Cornell 7 Is Business as Usual - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 9-30-26

C2: The Cornell 7 Case EXPLAINED - Hysteria - Air Date 10-1-26

C3: LSU Football Player UNDER INVESTIGATION After DISTURBING ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS!! - Katie Phang - Air Date 10-3-26

C4: NEW EVIDENCE From the Cornell 7 Case: Will THIS Be Enough For Justice? Part 1 - Hysteria - Air Date 10-3-26

C5: Michael Tracey, Shoe0nHead, Cornell - Edgier Than Thou - Air Date 10-2-26

C6: Jacob Geller, Cornell & the Future We Save for Men Part 2 - Jessie Gender - Air Date 10-7-26

C7: NEW EVIDENCE From the Cornell 7 Case: Will THIS Be Enough For Justice? Part 2 - Hysteria - Air Date 10-3-26

(03:25:54) SECTION D: ENABLERS, EXCUSES, AND WHAT MEN OWE

D1: Graham Platner and the Left's Misogyny Problem (with Yasmin Nair) - Current Affairs - Air Date 8-11-26

D2: I Feel Differently About the Cornell 57... - Kat Blaque - Air Date 10-3-26

D3: Thomas Jefferson Survives: The Cornell 7 and the Price of Great Men - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 10-2-26

D4: Do You Really Care About Assault? - Cam James - Air Date 10-7-26

Featured song: "Not All Men" by Morgan St. Jean, used with permission.

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Publish Date: 10-11-2026 Original Air Date: 9-16-2014

Today we dig through the archives to give context to the news that the Pentagon plans to execute the Fort Hood shooter by firing squad, the first U.S. military execution in more than 60 years.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Death Penalty - @LastWeekTonight with John Oliver - Air Date 5-4-14

Ch. 2: Americans Back Death Penalty, Whether It's Lethal Injection or Not - @majorityfm - Air Date 05-29-14

Ch. 3: Death Penalty Ruled Cruel And Unusual Punishment In California - @theyoungturks - Air Date 07-18-14

Ch. 4: Botched Lethal Injection Takes TWO HOURS to Kill Man - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date 07-24-14

Ch. 5: Two Hours To Cease Existence - @theharryshearer (le Show) - Air Date 7-27-14

Ch. 6: Why Is No One Talking About The Innocent Man Texas Executed? - @RedactedTonight - Air Date 8-8-14

Ch. 7: Study: More Than Half of People Executed Have Severe Mental Illness - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date 07-25-14

Ch. 8: Bill Blum on the death penalty, both beheadings and lethal injections - @truthdig - Air Date 9-12-14

Ch. 9: The Truth, Finally, After 30 Years In Prison & The Truth Is Ugly - @theyoungturks - Air Date 03-13-14

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Air Date: 10/7/2026

Today we trace the "Exxon Knew" story through a decade of our own archive, because that history is what the Supreme Court is weighing in Suncor v. Boulder in their first case this term. Exxon's scientists confirmed the climate science in the early eighties and the company chose to manufacture doubt. Communities like Boulder County have paid ever since and the question before the Supreme Court is whether any lawsuit like this will be allowed to go to trial.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Trump's Big Oil Case Heads to the Supreme Court - What A Day - Air Date 3-16-26

KP 2: Exxon's History of Climate Change Research - On The Media - Air Date 9-18-15

KP 3: Brendan DeMelle on Exxon's Climate Cover-Up - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-29-16

KP 4: Bill McKibben on Exxon, the Power of Divestment, and Being Targeted by Shadowy Right-Wing Group - Democracy Now! - Air Date 05-26-16

KP 5: Five Lies Republicans Tell About the Climate Crisis - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-9-26

KP 6: Nationalizing Oil It's About Saving the World - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 4-11-22

KP 7: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower: We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26

(00:59:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:09:07) SECTION A: THE INDUSTRY'S PLAYBOOK

A1: The Climate Deniers Began in 1940 - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 04-14-16

A2: Naomi Oreskes: Climate Change Disinformation Is Like Pro-Tobacco Lobbying - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 03-08-16

A3: Kert Davies on How the Climate Denial Industry Works - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 12-04-15

A4: Ari Rabin-Havt on the Climate Change Lie Machine - In Deep W/ Angie Coiro - Air Date 6-11-16

(01:37:18) SECTION B: TRUMP'S ROLLBACK AND THE LEGAL FIGHT TO STOP IT

B1: Why Trump Will Go Down In History As The Exxon President -The Majority Report with Sam Seder - Air Date 03-18-17

B2: Trump SHREDDING Obama's Environmental Rules - The Young Turks - Air Date 03-30-17

B3: Rolling Back Obama's Clean Energy Policies Will Be Harder Than Trump Thinks - The BradCast W/ Brad Friedman - Air Date 3-29-17

B4: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26

B5: Notes on the Fight Against Fossil Capitalism with Ashley Dawson - This Is Hell! - Air Date 12-14-16

(02:19:01) SECTION C: SUNCOR V. BOULDER AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY FIGHT

C1: The Fight for Fossil Fuel Industry Accountability: Understanding Suncor V. Boulder Part 1 - Center for Progressive Reform - Air Date 9-3-26

C2: What's Suncor V. Boulder? And Why Does It Matter to Climate Progress? - Covering Climate Now - Air Date 9-23-26

C3: The Fight for Fossil Fuel Industry Accountability: Understanding Suncor V. Boulder Part 2 - Center for Progressive Reform - Air Date 9-3-26

(02:43:38) SECTION D: NATIONALIZE IT

D1: Not Everything That's Profitable Is Good - Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff - Air Date 2-10-17

D2: Climate Incrementalism Is the New Denial with Kate Aronoff - Bad Faith - Air Date 5-15-21

D3: Should We NATIONALIZE the Oil Industry with Matt Bruenig & Johanna Bozuwa - Bad Faith - Air Date 3-21-22

D4: What If The Fed Bought Out The Oil Industry - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 7-18-22

D5: Climate Scientist James Hansen Warns World Is on Wrong Track to Prevent Runaway Global Warming - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-04-15

D6: With Congress Unwilling to Act, Pressure Grows on Biden to Declare National Climate Emergency - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-21-22

D7: Naomi Klein & Avi Lewis Climate Change Could Be Catalyst to Build a Fairer Economic System - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-05-15

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Air Date: 10/3/2026

Today we examine the mechanisms of complicity. We're not all complicit in the worst atrocities but we are complicit in something so it's good to know how it works. Good people go along with bad ideas and thoughtful people allow themselves to be thoughtless all the time. The reasons are often structural but they can be resisted on both the personal level and collectively.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: How To Live Happily Next to a Death Camp | The Zone of Interest - Life Is A Story - Air Date 2-11-24

KP 2: "Do Not Obey in Advance": Timothy Snyder on How Corporate America Is Bending to Trump - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-20-24

KP 3: Harry Potter Is Manufacturing Your Complicity - Jessie Gender - Air Date 8-30-26

KP 4: Politically Neutral? - PissedMagistus - Air Date 9-15-26

KP 5: Ta-Nehisi Coates: American Culture 'complicit' in Dehumanizing Palestinians - Velshi - Air Date 10-12-24

KP 6: The Paramount/WB Merger Is a Disaster - Adam Conover - Air Date 9-24-26

KP 7: I Quit My Job Because of Harry Potter Part 1 - Hoots Hootman - Air Date 9-26-26

(00:53:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Antidote to Following the Crowd Is One Other Person

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:05:32) SECTION A: LESSONS FROM NAZI GERMANY

A1: Confronting Complicity: Exploring Ordinary Germans' Roles in the Holocaust - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Air Date 2-8-24

A2: Before America's Midterms: Hitler Didn't Rise Because of Democracy - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 9-25-26

(01:22:39) SECTION B: COMPLICITY IN GAZA: MEDIA, GOVERNMENTS, AND CELEBRITIES

B1: It's Not Complicated: The Israel - Palestine "Conflict" - Doomed - Air Date 5-17-21

B2: UK Sanctions Israeli Settlers. A Breakthrough Or A Cop-Out? - Owen Jones - Air Date 9-8-26

B3: Ed Sheeran's "Safety and Sanctuary" - Brenna Perez - Air Date 9-15-26

B4: Documenting the U.S. Media's Complicity in the Genocide of Gaza (with Robin Andersen) - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 8-26-26

B5: Theo Von and Joe Rogan Are Complicit - The Serf Times - Air Date 9-25-26

(01:55:10) SECTION C: THE MYTH OF NEUTRALITY: MEDIA, MODERATES, AND OBEYING IN ADVANCE

C1: "It Might Not Be Good for America, But It's Good for Us": How the Media Got Rich on Trump's Rise - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-9-16

C2: How "Moderates" Serve The Right - Second Thought - Air Date 12-17-21

C3: We Don't Need to Say Unalived! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 9-25-26

C4: Why Centrists and Ezra Klein Are Ruining Everything - Benaminute - Air Date 11-21-25

C5: Should The Press Boycott Trump? - Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-24-26

(02:28:45) SECTION D: FANDOM, CONSUMPTION, AND PERSONAL RECKONING

D1: The 7 Levels of Complicity With The System - Extra Andrewism - Air Date 7-6-26

D2: I Quit My Job Because of Harry Potter Part 2 - Hoots Hootman - Air Date 9-26-26

D3: The Hidden Danger of Turning Villains Into Heroes | Plotlines - Storied - Air Date 9-22-26

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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