Half the Answer

When those at the very top echelon of influence in Silicon Valley think about, talk about, and interact with government, what does that look like? Can we come up with a legible, understandable picture of the tech elites' idea of what governing is and how they relate to it? Adrian Daub says yes, and he says it in his new book "What Tech Calls Governing." Resources "What Tech Calls Governing": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503648333 "The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503640849 screengrab of Elizabeth Holmes from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGJSRFWALTI Elon Musk photo by Gage Skidmore https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/54349592271/in/album-72177720324044219 Mark Zuckerberg with Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-ULy4akl0 Peter Thiel photo by Gage Skidmore https://flic.kr/p/2n3bPZt Tim Cook in Oval Office from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAGUjY2HIs

What is the current state of affairs in Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding nations? We ask Y. L. Al-Sheikh for her help summarizing and contextualizing recent developments. Resources ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/diplomatofnight.com⁠ ⁠https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/ylalsheikh/⁠ ⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠ ⁠https://internationalpolicy.org/resource-author/y-l-al-sheikh/⁠ ⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠ ⁠https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/new-maps-show-how-israel-has-thwarted-hopes-for-a-palestinian-state⁠ ⁠https://truthout.org/articles/air-force-is-reviewing-case-of-iran-war-gold-star-widow-being-denied-benefits/⁠ "The One State Reality: What Is Israel/Palestine?": ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781501768408

Donald Trump's unprovoked trade war with Canada and his chaotic attacks on Iran have him hemorrhaging support in states he won in 2024. Why doesn't he seem to care? What is he thinking? We can't read minds, but we can talk to Greg Sargent from the New Republic about Trump's statements, posts, and actions over the last month or so. Resources https://newrepublic.com https://bsky.app/profile/gregsargent.bsky.social https://newrepublic.com/article/214669/trump-canada-trade-war-backfiring https://newrepublic.com/article/214682/transcript-krugman-trump-reveals-deep-contempt-maga-voters https://newrepublic.com/article/214748/transcript-trump-fury-canada-already-backfiring-badly

Who are the women supporting the rise of the far right in the United States? Are they brainwashed? Confused? Under coercive control? Dr. Katie Gaddini presents her findings after interviewing politically active right-wing women across the country and explains that there can be several distinct classifications of such women, who all are different, complex, and active participants in their political movement. Resources https://katiegaddini.com "Esther's Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right" https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781324123767 https://slate.com/culture/2026/07/conservative-women-right-wing-republican-christian-evangelical-trump-politics-maga.html https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/katie-gaddini/esthers-army/ podcast: blessed & stressed https://katiegaddini.com/podcasts https://katiegaddini.substack.com

Vaccination rates are falling across the country, vaccine deniers are occupying positions of power in the United States government, and previously eradicated diseases are reappearing. Tracking all of this is Caitlin Gilbert and her colleagues at the Washington Post health, science, and wellness desk. We asked her to fill us in on the state of the nation when it comes to vaccination, inoculation, and all things disease prevention. Resources https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/caitlin-gilbert/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/08/17/trump-rolls-back-vaccine-recommendations-see-where-your-school-stands/ https://bsky.app/profile/caitlingilbert.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/caitlingilbert.bsky.social/post/3msr4aokzkc2s https://www.tiktok.com/@caitlingilbertdata https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24135-vaccines https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3407399/

It's an unhinged political ad round-up, featuring racist memes from Donald Trump himself and Ken Paxton's rancid, deep-fried AI slop rip-off of one of the most famous ads from history. Author Jonathan M. Katz helps us make sense of the hideous soup of extremism, slander, bad art, and dirty dealings that we're all floating in. Resources: https://www.theracket.news https://www.forever-wars.com "Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250135599 "The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781137278975 "The Legend of Skokie: A Story of Free Speech and Fascism in America": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250427519 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/michigan-senate-results https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/the-right-is-targeting-abdul-el-sayeds-family-members/ https://www.wbaltv.com/article/trump-backed-candidate-michigan-loss-dropped-out/73357749 https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/racist-book-camp-saints-gains-popularity/ https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Turner-Diaries https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/an-infamous-attack-ad-just-got-an-ai-resurrection/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/arts/rachel-pollack-dead.html https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turner-diaries-other-racist-novels-inspire-extremist-violence/

Why does the right keep talking about a handful of critical theorists from the 1960s? Why are they hellbent on rooting out discussion of progressive ideas from the public sphere? What did Theodor Adorno have to do with the release of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"? And does the notion of "Cultural Marxism" imply the existence of seminal thinker Cultural Marx? We talk to A. J. A. Woods, author of "The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy," about all these questions but the last one. "The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy" https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781804296967 ⁠https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-ever-shifting-cultural-marxism/⁠ ⁠https://nathangoldwag.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/do-we-all-live-on-campus-now/⁠ ⁠https://www.thefp.com/p/honestly-rufo-mounk-debate-dei⁠ "beatles 4" by beatles maniac11 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse⁠.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has somehow jumped the queue, passing Mitch McConnell on the way to the place where Republican senators go at the end of a life full of compromises, betrayals, and cruelty. With the help of author, election strategist, and social justice advocate Maya Rupert, we explore the life and works of the man who occupied the most racist seat in American history. Resources: https://mayarupert.com/ The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780593475973 https://www.instagram.com/maya.rupert/?hl=en https://lemonadamedia.com/show/whenwewin/ https://magazine.ucsb.edu/spring-summer-2024/accidental-and-optimistic-political-strategist https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-staff-questions-health-b3018929.html https://www.wired.com/story/sfpd-drone-video-leak-surveillance/ https://theemancipator.org/2026/07/19/investigations/lindsey-graham-occupied-the-most-racist-senate-seat-in-u-s-history/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-scs-rep-lindsey-graham-enj/201550004/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/graham100798.htm https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/for-lindsey-graham-years-of-light-duty-as-a-lawmaker-in-the-air-reserve/2015/08/02/c9beb9fc-3545-11e5-adf6-7227f3b7b338_story.html https://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143333594/revisiting-newt-gingrichs-1997-ethics-investigation https://media.npr.org/assets/multimedia/2011/12/gingrich/Feb_26_1994.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20201117025418/https://apnews.com/article/a1fcceda5e00bfa840afe5a82260c2ef https://www.wcpinst.org/source/unborn-victims-of-violence-act-heads-to-white-house/ https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/us/senate-declines-to-resolve-issue-of-american-qaeda-suspects-arrested-in-us.html https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/04/18/177780665/bipartisan-senate-gang-prepares-to-sell-immigration-plan https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/how-lindsey-graham-stomped-the-tea-party/372521/?single_page=true https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/20/politics/jeb-bush-john-mccain-donald-trump https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politics/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-cell-phone/index.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-media-attack-lindsey-graham-kook-unfit-office-video-backfires-a8087796.html https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/senator-on-gop-backing-trump-party-has-gone-batshit-crazy/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-updates-on-the-2016-election-voting-and-race-results/sen-lindsey-graham-i-voted-evan-mcmullin-for-president/ https://www.npr.org/sections/death-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/2020/09/19/914774433/use-my-words-against-me-lindsey-graham-s-shifting-position-on-court-vacancies https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/498133-graham-on-potential-supreme-court-vacancy-this-would-be-a-different/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-media-attack-lindsey-graham-kook-unfit-office-video-backfires-a8087796.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-did-they-do-with-lindsey-graham/2019/01/15/c9909e62-1914-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/lindsey-graham-defends-brett-kavanaugh-amid-christine-blase-ford-accusation.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/lindsey-graham-slams-democrats-after-blasey-ford-testimony.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/politics/lindsey-graham-wall-emergency-powers/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/magazine/lindsey-graham-what-happened-trump.html https://www.newsweek.com/lindsay-graham-says-people-angry-over-trumps-mccain-attacks-dont-really-care-1377523 https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3664179002 "Lindsey Graham" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Ken Paxton isn't the only Looney Toon running for a position in the United States Congress this November. An extremist gun YouTuber is the Republican nominee for a House seat in the district that contains Uvalde, Texas. How did this happen? How is Katy Stout, his Democratic opponent, feeling about suddenly facing a boneheaded boogaloo bro instead of the moderate who was supposed to be there? Journalist Steven Monacelli tells us all about it. Resources https://www.stevenmonacelli.com https://bsky.app/profile/stevanzetti.bsky.social https://www.texasobserver.org/brandon-herrera-gun-youtube-uvalde-congress/ https://sanantonioreport.org/profile/katy-padilla-stout-2026-candidate-for-texas-23rd-congressional-district/ https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/13/texas-tony-gonzales-resigning-congress-sexual-misconduct-affair-staffer-eric-swalwell/ https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/trump-cease-and-desist-brandon-herrera-tony-gonzales-23rd-congressional-district/ https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/22/brandon-herrera-antisemitism-aipac-republicans-texas-00838410 https://brandonherreraforcongress.com/news/ https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/brandon-herrera-congress-ak-guy-19371667.php https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/us/politics/brandon-hererra-guns-youtube.html https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/07/gonzales-is-out-in-texas-and-dems-see-a-chance-to-beat-the-akguy-00817739 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/gop-candidate-brandon-herrera-mein-kampf-tony-gonzales-1235526685/

Exactly what is going on in England? Why is the Labour Party trying to behave like the Tories—or worse? Is Andy Burnham any better than Keir Starmer? We ask our European expert Hunter CG (RoteRote Media) to lay it out for us. Resources: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/world/europe/buses-andy-burnham-greater-manchester-bee.html https://www.npr.org/2026/06/22/nx-s1-5866429/with-starmers-resignation-the-u-k-is-set-for-its-7th-pm-in-10-years https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/nx-s1-5869499/starmers-successor-reset-on-uk-us-relationship-strait-latest https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crm0r94mv7jo https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/nominations-open-contest-uk-leader-andy-burnham-likely-only-candidate-rcna353629 https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-in-waiting-vows-rebuild-hard-power-more-dangerous-world-2026-07-09/ https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/politeness/89113EE2FB4A1D254D4A8D2011E542E4#overview

Graham Platner is a parade of red flags stuffed into a pair of yellow rubber waders, and yet so many let those things slide with a tsk tsk at best. For others, he was a bad man with bad views who unfortunately represented the only possible way to reverse the GOP majority in the senate. Improperly vetted, he relied on his "everyman" image to skate through the primaries despite several rounds of damning information reveals. But mere weeks from the deadline to finalize the candidacy of contenders, a story finally emerged that nobody could ignore. We ask Marisa Kabas of the Handbasket how it feels to have people suddenly come all the way around, and why it's so frustrating that they didn't figure it out sooner. Resources thehandbasket.co https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/graham-platner-rape-accusation-maine-senate https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDAWPE5PaWE https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/jul/09/donald-trump-graham-platner-mitch-mcconnell-iran-midterms-latest-news-updates https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/graham-platner-is-a-type-of-guy https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/08/graham-platner-isolated-defies-maine-democrats-they-try-hatch-plan/ https://www.newsweek.com/i-dated-graham-platner-i-believe-jenny-racicot-and-lyndsey-fifield-12172864 https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-curdling-of-the-american-man https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/graham-platner-maine-senate-exit-democrats-b3010473.html https://losingmyperspicacity.beehiiv.com/p/we-have-an-even-bigger-problem-than-graham-platner?utm_source=losingmyperspicacity.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=we-have-an-even-bigger-problem-than-graham-platner&_bhlid=725fa1d50927278b100637f3437277b0325dbb16 klippenstein being an ass https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/my-graham-platner-apology "Graham Platner 10-2-25" by m Spiess is licensed under CC BY 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/?ref=openverse.

ICE flights are still happening and they are still horrifying. Gillian Brockell brings us updates on some of the major players in the game of torturing innocent people in the sky, their victims, and the regular people who do not want this abusive pack of monsters to continue using their resources. Resources https://gillianbrockell.com/ Send tips to: gbrockell.44 on signal https://bsky.app/profile/gillianbrockell.com https://www.patreon.com/cw/worstairlineever https://gillianbrockell.com/interviews-podcast-and-some-r/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/vietnamese-man-deported-from-u-s-to-south-sudan-repatriated-after-year-in-detention https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/what-are-third-country-removals-factsheet/ https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781324092407 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deep-swamps-archaeologists-fugitive-slaves-kept-freedom-180960122/ https://www.baloproject.org/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/world/africa/trump-deportation-us-judge-congo-colombia.html https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/omni-ice-deportations-charter-flight-stonepeak-private-equity/ https://theintercept.com/2022/02/17/amazon-ice-deportation-flights-omni/ https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/152641-stonepeak-completes-acquisition-of-uss-atsg https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5629234/the-cautionary-tale-of-how-chicago-privatized-its-parking-meters https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-parking-meter-deal-city-council-members-seek-block-morgan-stanley-sale-meters-stone-peak/19265309/

Why won't Gregory Bovino stay gone? Why can't Trump keep his pool clean? And how many fireworks is too many fireworks? We asked our friend and yours Amanda Moore to help us get to the bottom of these questions and more. Resources: https://www.instagram.com/noturtlesoup17/?hl=en https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/an-ice-chaser-bovino/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/gregory-bovino-border-patrol-ice-minneapolis-chicago-new-orleans-video/ https://bsky.app/profile/noturtlesoup17.bsky.social https://authory.com/AmandaMoore https://www.turtlediaries.net/p/update-from-the-great-american-state https://www.turtlediaries.net/p/semiquincentennial-and-ice

Why is Albania having anti-Jared Kushner protests? What did he do to them? And what on Earth is going on in the UK? We asked our resident Europe expert to explain it all to us. Resources https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-uks-keir-starmer-went-from-election-landslide-to-downfall https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/06/jared-kushner-ivanka-trump-albania-luxury-resort-protest-movement-overthrow-albanian-socialist-prime-minister-corrupt-government/ https://www.wired.com/story/ivanka-and-jareds-island-resort-could-bring-down-albanias-prime-minister/

How did sports betting burst onto the scene so violently in the last half-decade? Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling explains the legal, regulatory and business changes that have led us here. For immediate help with problem gambling, please call 1-800-MY-RESET (800-522-4700) or visit https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/ Resources https://bookshop.org/p/books/everybody-loses-the-tumultuous-rise-of-american-sports-gambling-danny-funt/f7b6cf17f7e3e9b9?ean=9781668062029&next=t https://newrepublic.com/article/210094/sports-gambling-national-council-big-tobacco https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2026/02/20/everybody-loses-sports-gambling-danny-funt-review/ https://bsky.app/profile/dannyfunt.bsky.social https://x.com/dannyfunt?lang=en https://dannyfunt.substack.com/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/senate-bill/474 https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-black-sox-scandal/ https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/584/16-476/ https://sri.siena.edu/2026/04/13/more-than-a-quarter-of-americans-27-have-an-active-online-sports-betting-account-a-third-have-opened-an-account-at-least-once/ https://www.masslive.com/politics/2023/03/really-annoying-sports-betting-ads-are-protected-by-1st-amendment-lawmakers-say.html

What does the Callais decision mean for voting rights and other anti-discrimination protections in the United States? How is anybody supposed to defend their rights against race-based discrimination if they're not allowed to use disparate impact as proof? Catch the discriminators confessing on a voice recording carrot pen, "Zootopia"-style? Bust out the mind-reading machine? We ask Madiba Dennie, author of The Originalism Trap , to explain it, and to help us figure out what to do now. Resources: The Originalism Trap: https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780593729250 https://ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/alito-callais-opinion-voting-rights-act-fifteenth-amendment/ https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-15/

Why has Bari Weiss, a liberal-presenting Trump sycophant, been handed the reins to CBS News, one of our most prestigious news organizations? What does her time running the Free Press, a website that publishes commentary, tell us about how she thinks about "doing the f--king news," which is to say, journalism? Radley Balko joins Trent and Caitlin to explain what he found when he dug into the work of one Free Press "reporter" who whitewashed Trump's refugee policy and demonized resettlement NGOs. Resources "How Bari Weiss's Free Press Laundered MAGA Talking Points About Refugees" https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/how-bari-weisss-free-press-laundered "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces" https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781541774537 "The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South" https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781541774056 Last Week Tonight: https://youtube.com/watch?si=azsf62uWi2915K-6&v=gieTx_P6INQ&feature=youtu.be Academic freedom: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/08/the-nyts-bari-weiss-falsely-denies-her-years-of-attacks-on-the-academic-freedom-of-arab-scholars-who-criticize-israel/ "Inside Bari Weiss's Hostile Takeover of CBS News" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/26/inside-bari-weisss-hostile-takeover-of-cbs-news In Bed With the Right: https://www.patreon.com/posts/152713931?collection=1409249

What was the first American Reconstruction after the Civil War? Why are some historians suggesting we just left a second sort of Reconstruction Era? Join Caitlin and Trent as they got into it all with Historian Thomas Zimmer, going from the first period of reconstruction, across the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before pressing through this second reconstruction, which Thomas considers as being from 1965 to 2026. They then turned their attention towards what lays ahead for the United States, as well as why some Germans just don’t care about what’s going on across the Atlantic Ocean. Resources: democracyamericana.com www.thomaszimmer.online

What was Andrew Jackson's favorite gelatin-based meal? Why did Hilary Clinton feel a deep and urgent need to tell everyone about her fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe? Did Ronald Reagan really eat that many jelly beans? We answer these questions and more with Bennett Rea, creator and host of Cookin' With Congress. Plus a little taste test! Resources https://www.cookinwithcongress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cookinwithcongress/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/@cookinwithcongress https://www.tiktok.com/@cookinwithcongress https://cookinwithcongress.substack.com/

Is this chatbot sentient? Is AI my friend? Is isolation hackable? Trent and Caitlin discuss recent AI news, Sam Altman's troubles legal and otherwise, labor organizing as a strategy against the worst fears of AI experts, and whether Richard Dawkins is conscious, in this news digest episode with linguist and AI researcher Hagen Blix. Resources https://bookshop.org/p/books/why-we-fear-ai-on-the-interpretation-of-nightmares-hagen-blix/377a4501006cfc55?ean=9781945335174&next=t Letter to Meta leadership https://mcipetition.com/ https://jacobin.com/2025/02/tech-workers-silicon-valley-trump https://jacobin.com/2025/12/hype-artificial-intelligence-vc-capital https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/meta-start-capturing-employee-mouse-movements-keystrokes-ai-training-data-2026-04-21/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/18/sam-altman-house-attack-ai https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05/12/technology/openai-trial-sam-altman-elon-musk https://www.wired.com/story/meta-layoffs-bad-vibes-mark-zuckerberg-ai/ https://tech-insider.org/meta-layoffs-8000-employees-135-billion-ai-capex-2026/ https://unherd.com/2026/05/is-ai-the-next-phase-of-evolution/?edition=us https://unherd.com/2026/05/when-claudia-met-claudius/