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Original Air Date: 615/2022

The many reasons why we are experiencing a housing crisis in the US and beyond but it mostly comes down to treating housing as a commodity to be profited from rather than a basic human need or, if you're feeling radical, a basic human right.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: The Housing Market - If You Don't Know, Now You Know - The Daily Show - Air Date 12-8-21

Ch. 2: How Foreign Companies Are Raising Housing Prices - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 12-27-21

Ch. 3: John and Ana React to Bonkers Housing Story - The Damage Report - Air Date 3-12-22

Ch. 4: How Socialists Solved The Housing Crisis - The Gravel Institute - Air Date 1-29-21

Ch. 5: Is the Housing Bubble About to Burst Featuring Prof. Richard Wolff - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 6-1-22

Ch. 6: Eviction Rates Are Rising - The Takeaway - Air Date 5-13-22

Ch. 7: Why Dems Have Abandoned Public Housing - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-9-22

Ch. 8: Does Vienna Have the World's Best Council Housing? Swimming Pools, Private TV Channels & More - Channel 4 Documentaries - Air Date 8-8-19

Ch. 9: Short-term rental housing is hurting Ouray residents - Rocky Mountain PBS - Air Date 7-19-21


SHOW IMAGE: 

Description: An illustration of a simple green house with a "$" symbol incorporated into it. The vertical line of the symbol is also the shape of the chimney and the front door. Small dollar signs flow out of the chimney, getting smaller as they go up.

Credit: Household | License

 

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Direct download: 1496_Home_Is_Where_The_Hardship_Is.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:52am EDT

Air Date 2/25/2025

Racism is at the core of most of what Trump believes so it should be no surprise when he aligns himself and the country with explicitly supremacist projects like the perceived Jewish superiority over Palestinians and the assumed "reverse racism" against White South Africans

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Trumps Insane Plan To Own Gaza - Pod Save the World - Air Date 2-12-25

KP 2: Elon's African roots - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-13-25

KP 3: Trumps South Africa Fixation - What Next - Air Date 2-12-25

KP 4: American Jews, Israel, and Palestine w Peter Beinart - American Prestige - Air Date 2-11-25

KP 5: West Bank Annexation Inevitable - The Majority Report - Air Date 2-6-25

KP 6: Israelis and Palestinians Standing Together - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 2-15-25

KP 7: On The Ground in Gaza Serving the People in Palestine - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 2-11-25


(51:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On why Israel and Gaza are not are complicated as you may think


DEEPER DIVES

(56:45) SECTION A: TRUMP’S GAZA PROPOSAL


(1:10:39) SECTION B: AFRIKANERS AND TRUMP


(1:35:00) SECTION C: WEST BANK VIOLENCE


(1:59:33) SECTION D: HISTORICAL CONTEXT


(2:25:09) SECTION E: RESISTANCE


SHOW IMAGE

Description: Composite showing Netanyahu and Trump with their heads close looking down on a Palestinian flag flying out of the rubble on Gaza.

 

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Direct download: 1693_Talking_Gaza.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

Air Date: 2-23-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:

- The heavy influence of a Nazi political theorist (propagandist) on the MAGA movement

- How our disagreements on baseline reality lead us to devastatingly different conclusions

- What many Trump supporters hoped for vs. what they got

- How so-called Timeline apps may help us extricate ourselves from social media

 

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REFERENCES:

Us and Them Is All the Rage

What Our Broken Politics Owe to the Nazi Jurist Carl Schmitt

It's The Fascism, Stupid

Timeline apps are here: Tapestry, Reeder, and a new way to read feeds

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Direct download: SAMPLE_from_SOLVED_338_-_Friends_Enemies_and_Blood_Chutes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Air Date 2/21/2025

There is nothing other than racism at the heart of Trump's immigration policy. He wants to deport as many brown people as possible, stop as many immigrants and refugees as possible unless they're White people from South Africa or the nearly 40 million Canadians he's inviting to enjoy immediate US citizenship. This is not complicated. Trump is a disgusting, blatant racist (and always has been) who's trying to turn the US into a White ethnostate.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Trump’s Unconstitutional Rampage Against Immigration - Amicus - Air Date 1-25-25

KP 2: Guantanamo's other history Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-10-12

KP 3: Know your rights (immigration edition) - Make Your Damn Bed - Air Date 1-23-25

KP 4: Operation Wetback and the Bipartisan Legacy of US Deportations Part 1 - Letters and Politics - Air Date 1-16-25

KP 5: Extraordinary Cruelty, Ordinary Policy: Immigration and Deportation Under Trump 2.0. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 1-31-25


(45:30) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On what we can learn from imaginary borders


DEEPER DIVES

(51:24) SECTION A: RIGHTS & FIGHTS


(1:26:42) SECTION B: GITMO & HAITI


(1:48:34) SECTION C: BIPARTISAN EXPLOITATION


(2:36:28) SECTION D: REALITY ON THE GROUND


SHOW IMAGE

Description: A composite image showing a photograph of a sign from a protest that says “The Criminal Is In Office” blended into an illustrated depiction of the backs of people behind a chainlink fence.

Credit: Composite images: private permission photo, and illustrated graphic via Pixabay | License: Pixabay

 

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Air Date 2/18/2025

Democracies slide into dictatorship in two ways, first slowly and then all of a sudden. We have been sliding in this direction for at least as long as I have been paying attention to politics and we're finally at the moment where that slow slide shifts into full speed.

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KEY POINTS

1: Is America Broken - The Gray Area - Air Date 2-10-25

2: Musk's 'DOGE' is spiraling U.S. into a constitutional crisis - The ReidOut - Air Date 2-7-25

3: Trump's latest target the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 2-10-25

4: Trumps American Takeover - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 2-1-25

5: Musk's Coup and Trump's Christian Zionist Gaza Takeover - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 2-7-25

6: Media Continues Painting Musk's Far Right Coup as Good Faith _Cost-Cutting Effort - Citations Needed - Air Date 2-5-25

7:  Why Are Dems Surprised - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 2-7-25


(55:58) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the long slide to dictatorship

Clip: O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts - NPR


DEEPER DIVES

(1:03:06) SECTION A: GOVERNMENT AGENCIES


(1:29:34) SECTION B: CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS


(2:00:04) SECTION C: THE PLAYBOOK


(2:22:46) SECTION D: WHAT TO DO


SHOW IMAGE

Composite image of the US Capitol building, surrounded by symbols of justice, treasury, international aid, and education, with a large brick smashing into the center with the acronym “MAGA” on the end.

Credit: Composite images from Pixabay | License: Pixabay

Direct download: 1691_Breaking_the_Government_-_21725_21.41.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:10am EDT

Air Date: 2-16-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:

- Why we may be forced to bring back bullying

- The impact of algorithms and what we can do about it

- Democrats and the meaning of 'the medium is the message'

- The unbelievable stupidity of techbro dweebs and their followers

- The sociopathic reasons why Musk is doing this

 

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REFERENCES:

The Algorithmic Cage

The Big Tech Takeover of American Politics

I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers

Remedial Civics for Tech Bros (Middle article)

Why Is Elon Musk So Hell-Bent on Bulldozing the Government?

 

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Produced by:

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Direct download: SAMPLE_-_SOLVED_337_-_Bullying_the_Biggest_Losers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30am EDT

Original Air Date: 8/4/2015

The dysfunctional state of the US immigration system and the political fight brewing over what to do about it

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Show Notes

Act 1: Coming Out As An Undocumented Immigrant - Latino Voices - AJ+ (@ajplus) - Air Date: 03-20-15


Act 2: Donald Trump WRONG About 'Immigrant Crime' - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date: 07-08-15


Act 3: Scott Walker Now Bashing Any and All Immigrants - @majorityfm - Air Date: 04-22-15


Act 4: La Raza Annual Conference Will Be Skipped By EVERY 2016 Republican Candidate - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 07-12-15


Act 5: 'OITNB' actress (@dianeguerrero__) speaks out about family's deportation - CNN - Air Date: 11-17-14


Act 6: Mass Graves of Immigrants Found in Texas, But State Says No Laws Were Broken - @democracynow - Air Date: 07-16-15


Act 7: Did You Know Jesus Was Against Immigration? - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 07-16-15


Act 8: Hold Border Patrol Responsible via @ACLU — Best of the Left Activism


Act 9: Let Them All In? How Immigration Can Help the Economy - @LearnLiberty - Air Date: 01-13-15


Act 10: The Migrant Manifesto by Musa Okwonga (@Okwonga) - @migrants_rights Network - Air Date: 11-26-12


 

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Direct download: 943_No_human_being_is_illegal_Immigration_-_21325_20.46.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Air Date 2/11/2025

The very rich, as has been noted before, are not on the side of regular people. And even if you think that the federal government needs a major reboot, no one but the ultra-wealthy are going to be happy with what they build in the aftermath of the administrative coup currently underway.

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ACTIVISM ROUNDUP

KEY POINTS

KP 1: How Oligarchs Took Over The World - Double Down News - Air Date 1-9-25

KP 2: Is Elon Musk Staging a Coup? Unelected Billionaire Seizes Control at Treasury Dept. & Other Agencies - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-3-25

KP 3: The Oligarchy's Power is Waking America Up - Velshi - Air Date 1-27-25

KP 4: DARK GOTHIC MAGA: How Tech Billionaires Plan to Destroy America Part 1 - Blonde Politics | The Silly Serious - Air Date 11-13-24

KP 5: Why the Tech Bros Allied with Trump - Zeteo - Air Date 2-2-25

KP 6: President Trump and the Power of the Purse - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 2-5-25


(51:21) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the dream of the accelerationists


DEEPER DIVES

(56:16) SECTION A: HISTORICAL CONTEXT


(1:40:21) SECTION B: GOVERNMENT DESTRUCTION


(2:25:04) SECTION C: THE BROS


SHOW IMAGE

Description: A composite image showing a wrecking ball - with Elon Musk’s face on it - smashes a white wall.

Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Image sourced from Pixabay. | License: Pixabay

 

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Air Date: 2-10-25
Today, Jay! and Amanda (Deon and Erin were sick) discuss:
- Why you should be using an RSS reader 
- The danger of Mystification as humans try to cope
- Musk and Trump's flagrant law breaking
- What Dems and you can do, with some tips from our own experience

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REFERENCES:

You should be using an RSS reader

Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein

Q & A: Jared Yates Sexton on the ‘Weaponized Abuse’ of Authoritarianism

Brian Schatz on How Democrats Can ‘Start Kicking Ass Again’

All the ways Elon Musk is breaking the law, explained by a law professor

Five Things Dems Must Do to Fight Trump Now

 

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Produced by:
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Direct download: SAMPLE_-_SOLVED_336_-_Demystifying_Our_Reality.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:55pm EDT

Air Date 2/7/2025

Trump came in with a plan to subdue the media and large swaths of the media came in with a plan to acquiesce. But it's important to understand why because it's not a conspiracy or people wanting to do harm, it's structural to the system.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Revenge- Trump throws lawsuits at the media and demands compliance - The ReidOut w Joy Reid - Air Date 12-17-24

KP 2: Fox News is Back at the White House. Plus, No Joke, The Onion Buys Infowars. - On the Media - Air Date 11-15-24

KP 3: Trump SECRET Meeting with Media before Payoff EXPOSED - The MeidasTouch Podcast - Air Date 12-16-24

KP 4: Mickey Huff The Mainstream Media is [CENSORED] - The Zero Hour with RJ Eskow - Air Date 1-11-25

KP 5: Why Is Mainstream Media Still So Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 2-2-25

KP 6: Public Broadcasting Is In Danger (Again) - On the Media - Air Date 1-10-25

KP 7: Attention pays (with Chris Hayes) - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 1-27-25

KP 8: Jim Acosta's powerful last words as he leaves CNN- -It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant - Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 1-28-25

KP 9: Fox News is Back at the White House. Plus, No Joke, The Onion Buys Infowars. Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 11-15-24


(53:40) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the liberatory power of the humble RSS feed reader


DEEPER DIVES

(1:00:23) SECTION A: MONEY


(1:20:46) SECTION B: ATTENTION


(1:34:24) SECTION C: FREE PRESS


SHOW IMAGE

Description: Photo of a TV in a living room with a Breaking News graphic. A person can be partially seen sitting on the couch eating a bowl of popcorn in their lap.

Credit: “Breaking news journalism press” by Tumisu, Pixabay  | License: Pixabay

 

Direct download: 1689_The_Media_and_the_Moguls.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:33pm EDT

Air Date 2/4/2025

The era of unquestioned US hegemony is undoubtedly on the decline but the future is much more complicated and uncertain than the straightforward idea of China rising to take our place that we've been told. Though Trump is not the cause of US decline, he may send us out in a tragic blaze of glory.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Things Fall Apart - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 1-28-25

KP 2: The end of America's global dominance Part 1 - The New Statesman - Air Date 1-8-25

KP 3: Will France and Germany's woes affect the rest of Europe? | Counting the Cost - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 12-12-24

KP 4: Putin faces 'economic dilemma' amid Trump sanctions threats | World in 10 - Times Radio - Air Date 1-25-25

KP 5: Goodnight, Pax Americana: Neoliberalism and the decline of the US Empire w/ Radhika Desai Part 1 - The Red Nation Podcast - Air Date 9-22-23

KP 6: Yanis Varoufakis on Cloud Capital vs AI: DeepSeek, Technofeudalism, Capitalism and the New Cold War - DiEM25 - Air Date 1-26-24


(46:57) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On soft landings vs crash landings


DEEPER DIVES

(52:56) SECTION A: AMERICAN DECLINE


(1:26:09) SECTION B: CHINA


(1:49:01) SECTION C: RUSSIA


(2:15:18) SECTION D: FRANCE


(2:35:47) SECTION E: CORPORATE CONTROL


(2:59:56) SECTION F: WHAT COMES NEXT


SHOW IMAGE

Description: Composite image of a crystal ball with Earth floating in its center and a white question mark on top of it.

Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Images from Pixabay.  | License: Pixabay

 

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Direct download: 1688.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

Air Date: 2-2-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
- How the resistance is transforming, not over
- What actually worked when resisting Trump's first term
- A curation of good advice on being effective and staying sane this time around

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REFERENCES:

Goodbye, ‘Resistance.’ The Era of Hyperpolitics Is Over.

How to Take Heart From What Really Worked in the First Resistance

The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide, VerfBlog

Here's What You Can Do to Keep Democracy Alive During Trump's Second Term

Trump Will Overplay His Hand. Here’s How to Be Ready.

A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

 

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Direct download: SAMPLE_of_SOLVED_335_-_Good_Advice_in_Bad_Times.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:02pm EDT