We've Got Issues

Jared Holt: Republicans have disinformation researchers in their crosshairs

This week, we are joined by Jared Holt, who researches domestic extremism at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, to talk about how Congressional Republicans are using their power and your tax dollars to harass and attempt to silence those who study and attempt to mitigate dangerous disinformation.

 

Then Joshua Holland welcomes journalist Parker Molloy to consider whether the political press has really failed to learn any lessons about how to cover Trump and his authoritarianism movement over these past eight years. 

 

Playlist

Cornershop: "Brimful of Asha"

Paul McCartney: "Live and Let Die"

The Bangles: "Hazy Shade of Winter"

The devastating human toll of neofascist attacks on LGBTQ+ people

On this week's show, we are joined by journalist Evan Urquhart, who is transgender, to talk about a topic that's rarely covered by the legacy media: The psychological and emotional toll that the right's relentless assault on the LGBTQ community's rights--and in many cases, on their very existence--takes on queer people. It is hard to be the target of an energized neo-fascist movement with a lot of power. 

 

Then we take a look at a more positive side to the same story, as veteran legal reporter Chris Geidner tells us about some important recent wins that civil rights activists have secured in the courts against some of the laws that red states have passed to punish their perceived enemies in the queer community and beyond. 

 

Playlist:

The Cramps: "Goo Goo Muck"

The English Beat: "Save It For Later"

Music Machine: "Talk Talk"

Marcy Wheeler: ’We should expect a Jan. 6 case against Trump’

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at how the GOP's performative approach to governing led them to stake out a position on the debt limit negotiations that will add hundreds of billions of dollars to federal budget deficits over the next decade. 

 

And then we're joined by legal analyst Marcy Wheeler to talk all about the historic federal indictment of Donald Trump--and preview what may lie ahead as our country's most lawless president finally faces some real efforts to hold him accountable for his crimes. 

 

Playlist:

Talking Heads: "Psycho Killer"

Boogie Down Productions: "The Bridge Is Over"

A Tribe Called Quest: "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo"

No joke: Fox News says worrying about toxic air is woke

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at a... very busy news week marked by some manifestations of the climate emergency that were impossible to ignore in much of the country.  

 

Then we'll speak with The Hill's Saul Elbein about how polluters, the gun industry and private prison companies--among others--are desperately trying to make socially responsible investing a new front in the right's endless "culture wars."  

 

And then we'll be joined by Matt Scott of the Atlanta Community Press Collective to bring us up to date on the latest in the unprecedented campaign to suppress activism against the completion of "Cop City," The Big Peach's massively expensive police training center.

 

Playlist:

Courtney Barnett: "If I Don't Hear From You Tonight"

Israel Nash: "Down In The Country"

Black Pumas: "Strangers"

Digby on the debt deal | Target caves to bigots

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at how Republicans always derail every effort to combat America's top terror threat: White supremacists and anti-government extremists. 

 

Then Heather "Digby" Parton joins us to talk about the deal Joe Biden cut with Speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the country's borrowing limit and avert a catastrophic default. There's a glass-half-full reading and also one that's not so rosy. 

 

And journalist Evan Urquhart explains how the legacy media tends to obscure the dangers of the right's campaigns of harassment and intimidation against companies that dare celebrate Pride Month.

 

Playlist

Cage The Elephant: "Cold Cold Cold"

Wild Child: "End of the World"

Stevie Nicks: "For What It's Worth"

David Pepper on how you can fight fascism in your own backyard

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show by violating his no-presidential-punditry-before-Thanksgiving rule with a look at the shambolic rollout of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's (ill-fated?) presidential campaign on Twitter. 

 

Then we're joined by author and analyst David Pepper to talk about his new book, Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American. Pepper sounded an alarm over the growing extremism evident in red state legislatures in 2021 with The Laboratories of Autocracy, and now he's followed up with a plan to fight back.

 

Playlist

• Altın Gün: "Yüce Dağ Başında"
• Bruce Springsteen: "Because the Night"

Oliver Willis on John Durham’s probe: ’This is a fail and we should enjoy it’

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at why the GOP is incapable of pivoting away from their most unpopular positions. 

 

Then we're joined by Oliver Willis from The American Independent to talk about the press and the majestic flop of Special Counsel John Durham's much-hyped report detailing various imaginary grievances against the FBI.

 

And Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte helps us understand how Republican women tolerate their party's misogyny.   

 

Playlist

Kings Of Leon: "Molly's Chambers"

GA-20: "Fairweather Friend"

Aimee Mann: "Jealous Guy"

 

CNN’s Trump town hall debacle portends reckless 2024 election coverage

Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at how Trump once again implicated himself in various criminal acts during his controversial CNN 'town hall' event.

 

Then we are joined by John Stoehr, managing editor of The Editorial Board, to talk about some curious polling around the GOP's debt limit hostage-taking, containing autocratic red states, the Dems' geriatric leadership and serial fabulist George Santos's indictment on 13 federal charges.

 

Playlist

Bahamas: "Trick To Happy"

David Bowie: "Man Who Sold the World"

Baby Huey: "Mighty Mighty"

Right-wing ’parents group’ uses terror and harassment against its political foes

The benign-sounding "Moms for Liberty" has largely flown under the radar, in large part because political reporters tend to portray it as a grassroots movement of conservative parents fighting for "parental choice." The reality, explains Vice's David Gilbert, is that Moms for Liberty is a dark money-funded organization with close ties to the GOP that has terrorized educators, school board members and other perceived enemies with vicious campaigns of harassment and intimidation.  

 

Then we welcome WaPo's Greg Sargent back to the podcast to talk about the GOP hurtling toward a debt limit breach and the Supreme Court's ethics crisis.

 

Playlist

Cannonballers: "Colony House"

Meghan Trainor: "Made You Look"

King Schascha: "Rudeboy Skankin (feat. Neville Staple)"

Media downplaying debt ceiling hostage-taking as a ’juicy political standoff’

Cliff Schecter is joined by Dan Perry for the view on American politics from Israel. Then Matt Robison reflects on how traditional media have characterized debt ceiling negotiations as a "juice political standoff" instead of hostage-taking by Republicans.

Cliff Schecter is a former ad writer for President Joe Biden, author of the bestselling book, "The Real McCain" and founder of the Blue Amp Channel w/ Cliff Schecter on Youtube, which features regular commentary, and takedowns of Republican lies & conspiracies.

Dan Perry is the former Top Editor for Associated Press in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He writes a substack on politics, international affairs and cultural issues called "Ask Questions Later" that can be found at danperry.substack.com.

Matt Robison was Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill to former Congressman Paul Hodes, a congressional and senate campaign manager and co-hosts the podcast "Beyond Politics" with Hodes and creates video commentary for the Blue Amp Channel.

Playlist

Garbage: "I Think I'm Paranoid"

Allen Halloween: "Crescer"

The Beatles: "Sexy Sadie"