We take another break from WW3 and various attempted assassinations with a sojourn into some economic shit with our guest Nicolas D Villarreal, an independent researcher focusing on the capitalist political economy.

For the full episode, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Full piece: https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/the-capitalist-in-the-21st-century/

Response https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/letter-limiting-factors-in-capitalist-growth/

Counter-Response https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/letter-why-the-limit-is-not-a-lack-of-opportunity/

FT article in agricultural inflation: https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/e13369c2-edb8-4418-adfb-3496d2fae185

CBS News' penny pinching tips: https://x.com/TheRealVarnVlog/status/2048217038443991052

Song: Kinks - Maximum Consumption

Sean and Andy are joined by researcher A.J.A. Woods to discuss their new book The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West.

How did this basket of conspiracies come together in the post-60s moment? Who was Lyndon Larouche and how did he provide a bridge from quasi-Leninist elitism to the Reaganite New Right? What does culture even mean for the right and how has it taken such outsized importance for them?

And, in the bonus for subscribers, what might an actual Marxism that is cultural look like and how many Beatles songs was Theodor Adorno responsible for writing?

Become a supporter of our work at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage

Song: Alien Nosejob - Kinks vs. Stones

&y & &ers celebrate weed's birthday with our annual reading of "Wally B" (Walter Benjamin)!

This year, we read Leon Wieseltier's weasel-tier preface to Benjamin's Illuminations, then "Unpacking My Library" and a section of Berlin Childhood.

For the full episode, subscribe at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage & listen to the end for a story of Anders' Benjamin-inspired direct action against Rahm Emmanuel.

Song: Eminem - Cleanin' Out My Closet (Slowed)

NEWS EP! Andy is a bestseller. Sean becomes a Luddite Gnome. Orbon is Or-gone. Situation monitoring Hormuz, and looking back at the Suez crisis.

In the bonus we discuss AI-generated Iranian propaganda. To hear that, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Metropolitans B&N event with Noah Kulwin: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062206054-0

‘Summer of Ludd’ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/style/lamp-club-luddites.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Orban Loss: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/politics/orban-trump-maga.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Audio of Iranian warning that scared away US Navy warship https://x.com/eternalphysics/status/2043309125572936047?s=46

Suez and Iran by Niall Ferguson https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/america-suez-crisis-trump-presidency-world-order-iran-cqrfs86z0

Central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war: https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/6fac51c8-b650-48d4-82eb-e6e66f75dd2fForeign

Iran plans permanent changes to world economy https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/10/766586/why-no-matter-can-undermine-iran-eternal-dominance-over-strait-hormuz

Catching up with Molly Crabapple about Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund, available TODAY!!

See also Molly's "My Great Grandfather was a Bundist" in New York Review of Books

Support the show / get bonus content at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Song: New Yiddish Chorale/Workers Circle Chorus feat. Adrienne Cooper - Barikadn (Barricades)

Sean and Varn are joined (eventually) by Henry Wallis, official France correspondent of This Wreckage and Varn Vlog, to talk about upcoming elections on the commune level and France Unbowed's plan to grow from municipal power to a mass political movement.

Beforehand we had a brief discussion of the economic fallout from the Iran war which has subsequently went into a tentative two-week ceasefire.

For access to this and all our bonus content become a supporter at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage

For the video of this episode and lots of great educational material become a supporter of C. Derick Varn over at VarnVlog

You can support Henry's work over at the excellent magazine https://newint.org/

Everybody preorder Metropolitans now!!!!

One of the longest and weirdest baseball books ever written, METROPOLITANS is a marxist history of America’s pastime in which the Mets serve a messianic main character.

Check out this excerpt, this interview, or this Adam Gopnik New Yorker review.

PREORDER from Penguin, Bookshop.org, Amazon and/or find me at one of the following launch events:

April 1: Official book launch! w/ Bradford William Davis at Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn (Ticketing information: https://powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-metropolitans-by-a-m-gittlitz/)

April 3: Release celebration at Lou’s Athletic Club in Bushwick more info: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWPKFCQCp5r/

April 4: Tabling with Books and Rooks at Ft. Green Farmer’s Market around 11am April 12: Paper Moon in Troy, NY April 13: B&N in Albany

April 16: B&N Brooklyn with Noah Kulwin! https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062206054-0

April 20: B&N in Carle's place LI with Greg Prince

April 27: B&N in Paramus, NJ April

30 Mets vs. Yankees debate at Le Pere on 90 Orchard St., moderated by Mattie Lubchansky!

More info will be posted at Astra House’s IG

Monologue adapted from Jean Shepard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0pnq3ijfs

Tipping Pitches: https://tippingpitch.es/

Go to Greenpoint/Williamsburg/Bushwick/Ridgewood History nights: https://www.instagram.com/gphistorynight/

Songs: The Strokes - Ode to the Mets

The 1986 Mets - Get Metsmerized

audio from the Independent Labor Club of New York City's 03/21 panel at the NYU Games Center featuring JD Calvelli, Nathan Greyson, and Goran, Svorcan-Mercola. Moderated by Alexander King. To find more info about the ILC check out ILCLabor.com to sign up.

Become a supporter of our podcast at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage

Song: LDR - Video Games (Live at Stagecoach)

Sean and Andy are joined by Deep State Kuba Ph.D., international relation expert to the podcasting stars, to discuss current events in an unraveling world. Who is winning the wars in Iran and Ukraine? How has the media coverage of war and peace gotten so bad since the last great period of wars in the early 2000's? What kind of divisions exist within the global ruling class and what aspects of governance unify them? Whither the great post-war institutions in an era of global turbulence?

For the fun half, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

What Fresh Hell series on TiR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtgfYtQDvBI

ILC of NYC Gaming Event RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boss-fight-labor-organizing-in-the-game-industry-tickets-1984299154186?aff=oddtdtcreator

ILC of Chicago People's Cafe RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwtjPq9qukA4mswg1BMMgWSB83yognq_HY0M7-ABS9JCuNGQ/viewform

The full episode is avaiable for FREE members at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Paid subscribers can watch the video version of the pod here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/152718531

We're joined by actor, comedian, activist, & Anders lookalike NATE SMITH! The two mog each other as we discuss the roots of his two action groups Climate Defiance & Extinction Rebellion, the recent interest both have received from the state, tips on dealing with FBI knocks from Ron Kuby, the use of humor in disruptive actions, anti-ginger racism, & much more!

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/left-wing-activists-storming-synagogue-use-knee-pads-adult-diaper-mock-dem-congressman-ice-vote

https://theintercept.com/2026/02/12/fbi-counterterror-extinction-rebellion/

https://dissentmagazine.org/article/can-extinction-rebellion-survive/

Song: Organized Konfusion - The Extinction Agenda

We go through different theories of WHY the Iran war is happening: ZOG/Epstein, Venezualizing Iran, Destabilizing the Gulf, Neo-Neoconservativism, immamentalizing the evangelical eschaton, or just because they can

For the full episode, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Kharg theory: https://www.eenews.net/articles/the-oil-island-that-could-break-iran/

https://x.com/guy_laron/status/2030262780389937167

Uniparty Theory: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-iran-regime-change-democrats-chuck-schumer-midterms?utm_source=publication-search

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-nuclear-2672345081/

Armageddon Theory: https://theintercept.com/2026/03/05/iran-war-end-times-christian/

Klip Theory: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/why-we-struck-iran

Mike Prysner on mobilization: https://x.com/MikePrysner/status/2030106988265578976

Song: Discharge - Why? (Reprise) & Visions of War