We discuss the inner workings of tech fascism, the toxic beliefs of billionaire extremists, and the role of cryptocurrency to facilitate the demise of democracy. As always, the cure will come from collective action.  

Gil’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Find people with common interests and work together
2. Meet people face to face and find the doorway to the power of democracy

Gil Duran is a journalist and the host of The Nerd Reich podcast. His newsletter, The Nerd Reich covers tech authoritarianism, billionaire extremism, the Network State, and California's meta politics. His new book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy is a national bestseller. 

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Credits: 

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Guests: Gil Duran

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

This week, we're sharing a really great episode from our friends at Optimist Economy! 

Nobody has more riding on any changes to Social Security than people under 40. The trust fund is currently projected to run dry in the fourth quarter of 2032, but it could be sooner. Every election, starting in November, selects the lawmakers who will shape the program’s future. Neglecting to fix its finances will mean an automatic 22% cut to everyone's benefit. But for Millennials and Zoomers, what’s at stake isn't your elders’ monthly check — it’s the only life insurance, disability insurance, and old-age poverty insurance guaranteed to follow you through every job you'll ever have.
 
 
Chapters:

1:21 Announcements — Unbleeped feed, subscribe reminders.

2:23 Retcon — Seed OK savings accounts follow-up.

4:36 Terms & Conditions — Social insurance vs. private insurance.

8:42 Big Pilcrow — Under 40? Time to tune in to the Social Security debate.

11:51 Youth Skepticism — Why young people have always doubted Social Security, and how that's politically exploited.

16:56 OBBA Impact — How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut Social Security's revenue.

18:37 Immigration Trends — Deportations and lower immigration also hurt.

21:11 Elections Have Begun — Social Security as a live political battleground.

22:35 First Beneficiaries — What studies of early recipients tell us.

30:36 Otherwise Uninsurable Risks — Death, disability, savings, longevity, inflation.

33:17 Paid Family Leave — Could Social Security's model extend to paid leave?

34:21 Claim Ownership — Youth should own this program.

37:08 Cuts by Geography — Rural states will get hit hardest if cuts come.

38:27 Executive Orders — Casting ages, cosmetic disclosure.

40:22 Spiritual Sponsors — World Cup, Jeopardy! triumph.

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We discuss the president’s meddling in universal mail in ballots, the stakes of the 2026 election, and election integrity in Nevada.

Cisco’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Check your voter registration status
2. VOTE on or before November 3, 2026

Cisco Aguilar serves as Nevada’s Secretary of State as well as the Chair for the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.

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Guests: Cisco Aguilar

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the transformation of free market capitalism into a techno-winner-take-all system. Reaganomics and advances in technology have supercharged the market power of corporations and created immense private power. Both of these have increased economic inequality, which causes political inequality and threatens democracy.

Mordecai’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1.  Be supportive of democratic institutions. 
2.  Be willing to listen to opposing points of views without interference.

Mordecai Kurz is the Joan Kenney Professor of Economics Emeritus at Stanford University and his most recent book is Private Power and Democracy’s Decline: How to Make Capitalism Support Democracy.

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Guests: Mordecai Kurz

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss how the interlocking web of public relations, think tanks, and university research funding by private actors and corporations have polluted the information ecosphere. Warping the truth is destroying reality and eroding democracy.  

Amy’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Be a trusted source of information and get off social media!
2. Be a missionary for good civic action

Amy Westervelt is an award-winning investigative climate journalist and the host of Drilled, a true-crime podcast about climate change. Her new book is Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy.

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Amy Westervelt

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss an innovative framework to reclaim our constitutional future from a Supreme Court that has amassed power for itself and undermined how we govern ourselves.  

Julie’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Advocate for new institutions
2. Participate in deliberations to write a new bill of rights or even a new constitution

Julie Suk is the Leonard F. Manning Professor of Law at Fordham University and the author of The Shadow Court: Rescuing Democracy from the Supreme Court. 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Julie Suk

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss how the SpeechNow v. FEC decision in 2010 created Super PACs and how combating corruption in American politics starts with getting rid of Super PACs. 

Larry’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Build the muscle of deliberating with each other.
2. Start with the principle that we should not have a political system where people can buy influence and get results with their money.

Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School and the founder of Equal Citizens, an organization whose mission is to fix democracy by establishing truly equal citizenship.  

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Lawrence Lessig

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the basics of organizing and the fruits of that work. Michael reminds us that “organizers organize organizations.”

Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Gather 4-5 friends to talk about what’s happening
2. Share ideas on what you can do to resist 

Michael Ansara is a seasoned community organizer and the author of The Hard Work of Hope: A Memoir.

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Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Michael Ansara

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

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Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guest: Stephanie Luce

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss why now is the time for a third political party to really take center stage in American democracy.

Maurice’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Organize! Join an organization.
2. Create conditions where people can govern and decide the direction of their country and their democracy

Maurice Mitchell is the National Director of the Working Families Party. He's a nationally-recognized social movement strategist, a visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and a community organizer for racial, social, and economic justice.

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Check out the Working Families Party:

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Maurice Mitchell

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

In the middle of the night, the police move in to raid the encampment. What follows is chaotic, emotional, and unforgettable. But the story doesn't end when the tents come down. Former occupiers reflect on the movement's surprising legacy, the political forces it helped unleash, and what its successes and failures can teach us about organizing in an age of rising authoritarianism.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

To learn more about canceling student debt, listen to this episode with Braxton Brewington of the Debt Collective: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/cancel-student-debt-braxton-brewington

To learn more about campaign finance reform and money in politics, tune in to this conversation with Tiffany Muller of End Citizens United: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/the-politics-of-corruption-tiffany-muller

For a conversation on grassroots activism and sustainable community organizing, listen to this episode with Michael Ansara: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/turning-hope-into-action-michael-ansara 

To learn more about why now is the time for a third political party, tune in to this conversation with Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/wfp-represents-you-maurice-mitchell 

To learn more about effective ways to resist and organize in the Trump era, listen to this conversation with Daniel Hunter: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/resist-and-organize-daniel-hunter

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX