Air Date 2/28/2024

AI-generated deepfakes, entirely fabricated audio and video of recognizable people, are here. They have been on the horizon for years but they have finally arrived during the biggest global election year in history which may prove to be a make of break year for democracy itself as we struggle to separate fact from fiction and autocracy is on the rise around the world.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Deepfaking Democracy: Why AI Threatens News And Global Elections In 2024 - Forbes - Air Date 2-6-24

Deepfaked news segments that appear to be delivered by well-known journalists and TV networks are going viral on social media. Oftentimes, the view counts of deepfaked segments largely outnumber those of real news stories.

Ch. 2: AI Deepfakes Are Everywhere and Congress is Completely Out of Their Depth - CYBER - Air Date 2-9-24

An AI-generated Biden called voters in New Hampshire ahead of the primary and told them to stay home. X locked down the search term “Taylor Swift” after AI-generated nudes of the pop giant flooded the platform.

Ch. 3: Tech giants pledge action against deceptive AI in elections - All Things Considered - Air Date 2-16-24

Tech giants including Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, X, OpenAI and TikTok unveiled an agreement on Friday aimed at mitigating the risk that artificial intelligence will disrupt elections in 2024.

Ch. 4: Deepfake Adult Content Is a Serious and Terrifying Issue - Aperture - Air Date 5-1-23

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on even more dangers from news sites populated with AI-generated content

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Computer-generated image of a silhouetted man standing in front of a large wall-sized image of the profile of a middle-aged man with digitized lines and cracks running through it.

Credit: "ai-generated-man-computer-science" by NickyPe, Pixabay | License

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Air Date: 2-25-24
Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss:
- authoritarian Technocracy
- and why interoperability may be one of the best weapons against it

REFERENCES:
THE RISE OF TECHNO-AUTHORITARIANISM

Big Tech Won’t Let You Leave. Here’s a Way Out

The Great Interoperability Convergence: 2023 Year in Review

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Air Date 2/23/2024

2024 is already shaping up to be even more of a disaster than expected. The causes for anxiety are many and varied, leaving many of us with questions. We generally try to avoid topics and commentaries that lean into the realm of pure speculation but today we decided to lean all the way in to answer your most pressing questions. What about Biden's support of Israel? What about his age? Should he be replaced at the Democratic Convention? How likely is Trump to do the horrible things he promises? And what about his court cases?

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Ch. 1: Biden GENOCIDE COMPLICITY US Court Backs ICJ - Breaking Points - Air Date 2-1-24

Krystal and Emily discuss a US court ruling Biden may be complicit in genocide after the ICJ's ruling against Israel.

Ch. 2: Moral Failure Democrats Urge Biden to Change Gaza Policy - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-21-24

"The administration needs to change course in foreign policy in the Middle East to gain the trust of people who we have lost," says California Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna.

Ch. 3: Manufacturing Discontent How Was America SO Easily Convinced Biden’s Brain is Bad - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 2-13-24

Did the media convince you that Biden is losing his touch? Thom Hartmann explains why you can’t trust this false narrative.

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments on the presidential age debate and what we're really voting for

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Graphic design composite featuring a large pile of red, triangular traffic attention/warning signs. Every sign has a question mark in the middle with the exception of two, which show the faces of President Biden and Donald Trump, respectively.

Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Composite components: “Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr (License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped). “The Swearing-in Ceremony of the Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh” via Trump White House Archive, Flickr (Public domain). “Traffic-signs-attention-right-of-way” via Pixabay (Public domain).

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Air Date 2/20/2024

"Luddite" should never have become the epithet that it is as the Luddites were never afraid of or opposed to technological advancement, they only opposed the exploitation of workers and the degradation to society that came with the unfair distribution of the benefits of the targeted technology.

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Ch. 1: The New Luddites - SHIFT - Air Date 2-14-24

Activists are fighting back against generative AI and reclaiming a misunderstood label in the process, says Brian Merchant in a new piece for The Atlantic.

Ch. 2: Being a Luddite Is Good, Actually ft. Jathan Sadowski - Left Reckoning - Air Date 5-29-21

Jathan Sadowski (@jathansadowski) of the This Machine Kills (@machinekillspod) podcast repairs our sabotaged understanding of the legacy of the Luddites.

Ch. 3: Why this top AI guru thinks we might be in extinction-level trouble | The InnerView - TRT World - Air Date 1-22-24

Lauded for his groundbreaking work in reverse-engineering OpenAI's large language model, GPT-2, AI expert Connor Leahy tells Imran Garda why he is now sounding the alarm.

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the fork in the road and a look at our options

References:

Rethinking the Luddites in the Age of A.I.

A Scottish Jewish joke - Things Fall Apart - Air Date 1-25-22

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: An 1812 block print of “The Leader of the Luddites” depicting a man in disheveled early 1800s clothing and missing one shoe leading other men up a hill while a building burns in the background. 

Credit: “The Leader of the Luddites”, Messrs | Working Class Movement Library catalog | Public Domain

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Air Date: 2-19-24
Today, Jay!, Amanda and Deon discuss:
- how augmented reality and the Apple Vision Pro affects the human brain 
- how algorithms are changing and flattening our culture
- how to take back your life from algorithmic choices

REFERENCES:
The Vision Pro's scary side effect

Why Tim Cook Is Going All In on the Apple Vision Pro

We’ve Forgotten How to Use Computers

Have Algorithms Ruined Our Culture?

How to Take Back Your Life From Algorithms

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Air Date 2/17/2024

The debate over education has been derailed from the legitimate concerns of the past focused on the downfalls of No Child Left Behind and Common Core policies into a cul-de-sac of ignorance over opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and the teaching of critical race theory. Not to mention the new McCarthyism that has sprung up to squash any criticism of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

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Ch. 1: How to Dismantle the Anti-DEI Machine - At Liberty Podcast - Air Date 2-9-24

Free speech on campus, book bans, education gag orders, the overturn of affirmative action, the resignation of former Harvard president Claudine Gay. All of these issues center on one hot-button topic: DEI.

Ch. 2: Fighting Back Against The GOP’s War On College w. Bradford Vivian Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 2-8-24

Author Bradford Vivian joins Emma to discuss his book Campus Misinformation: The Real Threat to Free Speech in American Higher Education.

Ch. 3: Wadie Said on the New McCarthyism - CounterSpin - Air Date 12-22-23

Powerful institutions, including the media, combine a selective understanding of free expression with a vehement desire to enforce it.

Ch. 4: The Education Myth - How America Changed Its Relationship With School w. Jon Shelton - The Majority Report - Air Date 8-20-23

Sam and Emma host Jon Shelton, professor at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, to discuss his recent book The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy.

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MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 9: Resistance to Change in Higher Ed Part 2 - with Dr. Brian Rosenberg - The EdUp Experience Podcast - Air Date 11-7-23

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the tradeoffs we make when we allow culture wars to dominate the education debate

Articles:

The Loss of Things I Took for Granted - Slate

In the Fight Over How to Teach Reading, This Guru Makes a Major Retreat - NYTimes

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Photo of the gothic facade of a university with dark clouds overhead.

Credit: "Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana", Pixabay | License

Air Date 2/13/2024

The entire political system has lurched to the right on immigration as Democrats adopt the talking points of the Republicans and the MAGA Republicans put Trump's election chances over the policies they claim to support.

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Ch. 1: ‘Basically a cult’: Trump's MAGA Republicans slammed for vowing to block immigration reform bill - The ReidOut with Joy Reid - Air Date 2-5-24

MAGA Republicans have vowed to block the latest immigration reform bill, while also saying immigration is a crisis and immediate threat. Donald Trump’s influence over MAGA Republican elected officials regarding immigration is discussed

Ch. 2: Democrats Fully Embrace Trump’s Immigration Narrative - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 2-9-24

Ch. 3: Republican CALLS OUT Trump By Name Over Outrageous Border Lies - The Damage Report - Air Date 2-10-24

Republican Chip Roy goes off on a fiery rant against his own party, explicitly calling out Donald Trump for posting false claims on Truth Social over the border deal he plotted to destroy. John Iadarola and Sharon Reed break it down on The Damage Report.

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the incentives for our politicians to fail at governing

Related Articles:

How Texas officials stymied nonprofits' efforts to help migrants they bused to northern cities

As cities struggle to house migrants, Biden administration resists proposals that officials say could help

Half of Republicans say California isn’t really American

Commentary: If only Congress would listen to the CBO on immigration

SHOW IMAGE: 
Description: Photo of detained migrants - adults and children - lined up against the US-Mexico border fence as a border patrol officer walks by.

Credit: "U.S. Border Patrol agent apprehends a group of migrants" via Picryl | License: Public Domain

Air Date 2/10/2024

Continuing to tell the stories of those directly impacted by abortion bans is important to demonstrate the extreme stances taken by anti-choice politicians but we also look ahead to potential ways the situation could be made even worse as well as efforts to relieve the suffering.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Texas Abortion Laws Cruel Outcomes - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 12-16-23

The results of overturning Roe have reached their awful, logical conclusion.

Ch. 2: Post-Roe America 5. Culture of Silence - The Nocturnists - Air Date 10-19-23

In episode 5 of The Nocturnists: Post-Roe America we talk about the culture of silence around reproductive health in medical spaces, and how breaking that silence is our only hope for reclaiming our reproductive freedom.

Ch. 3: Texas Abortion Laws Cruel Outcomes Part 2 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 12-16-23

Ch. 4: Did Kate Cox Expose GOP Plan To Turn Women into Property - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 12-14-23

The saga of Kate Cox in Texas is making it clear to every American that GOP opposition to abortion isn’t just about abortion: it’s ultimately about controlling every aspect of women’s bodies and lives.

...

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FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on addressing concerns regarding the 15-minute city concept of walkable towns

TAKE ACTION!

Support repro rights orgs doing vital work, such as: 

National Network of Abortion Funds 

Center for Reproductive Rights

Abortion Access Legal Defense Fund

Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman 

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: Photo of a protestor holding a handmade sign that reads "You can't ban abortion. You can only ban safe abortion." 

Credit: "Defend Abortion Rights - Maintain the Rage" by Matt Hrkac, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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Air Date 2/7/2024

Loneliness is an epidemic that long-predates the COVID lockdowns that only made things worse but it's not primarily cultural or even technological in origin. The issue largely has to do with how our built environment is designed and then social and technological aspects compound the problem.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Surgeon General discusses health risks of loneliness and steps to help connect with others - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-2-23

The U.S. Surgeon General declared a new public health epidemic in America, loneliness. A new report finds loneliness can have profound effects on mental health as well as heart disease, stroke and dementia.

Ch. 2: Our Loneliness Epidemic is Infrastructuralized - Studio Leonardo - Air Date 6-2-22

The infrastructure in the US is one of the main culprits for our loneliness. In this video, we deep-dive into why that is and how it has come to be this way. So, what can we do to fix this?

Ch. 3: Original Barcelona video - @The Happy Urbanist TikTok - Air Date 12-15-23

Ch. 4: How cohousing can make us happier (and live longer) | Grace Kim - TED - Air Date 8-7-17

Loneliness doesn't always stem from being alone. For architect Grace Kim, loneliness is a function of how socially connected we feel to the people around us -- and it's often the result of the homes we live in. She shares an age-old antidote to isolation

....

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MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Photograph taken from behind a woman in a dark room who is leaning out an open window. She looks out at a brick apartment building across the way. 

Credit: "Woman looking out the window" by Jon Eric Marababol, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC0 1.0 Universal

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Air Date: 2-6-24
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
- The impacts of the myth of the model minority
- Haley and Ramaswamy Denying America's racism as they both experience and use racism during the Republican primary race

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REFERENCES:
Vivek Ramaswamy and the lie of the “model minority”

Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy Can’t Escape GOP Racism

Scholars worry Haley and Ramaswamy's race-blindness helps GOP advance "white supremacist worldview"

Jake Tapper Confronts Nikki Haley About Saying U.S. Is Not ‘Racist’

Nikki Haley, MAGA and the Confederacy: Time to purge these myths

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Air Date 2/3/2024

We attempt to understand as many of the interlocking elements as possible in the current Middle East conflicts sparked most prominently by the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

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Ch. 1: From Red Sea to Iran, Will Israel's Gaza Assault Spark Wider War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-17-24

For a look at where all this is headed, we speak with journalist Spencer Ackerman, who says it's "the most dangerous moment for the Middle East" he has witnessed in over 20 years of covering war and security.

Ch. 2: Houthis Are Not Iranian Proxies Helen Lackner on the History & Politics of Yemen's Ansar Allah - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-1-24

Helen Lackner, author of several books on Yemen, describes the history of the Houthis, the political landscape in Yemen, and debunks the idea the group is controlled by Iran.

Ch. 3: What does Iran want - The Inquiry - Air Date 1-25-24

After months of tension and hostility in the Middle East over the Gaza-Israel conflict, Iran has publicly stated its desire to avoid a regional conflict. It has however displayed its military force on several fronts.

Ch. 4: Biden Stands at the Precipice of a Greater War in the Middle East and His Political Future Part 1 - Intercepted - Air Date 1-31-24

After years of attempting to pivot away from the region, the Biden administration now looks set to deepen its military involvement in the Middle East as it fights the Houthis in Yemen and squares off in an escalating proxy war with Iran.

Ch. 5: Drone Strike Kills 3 U.S. Troops in Jordan as Risk Grows of Regional War over Israel's Gaza Assault - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-29-24

"There will be more of these attacks, for sure," says Palestinian American journalist Rami Khouri, who lays out the simmering regional conflict and questions U.S. foreign policy running counter to American opinion and strategic goals.

.......

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SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: A satellite image of the Middle East.

Credit: "Satellite relief map of Middle East" by Merikanto, Wikimedia | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 | Changes: Cropped